Believer Meats, an advanced food production company, announced it will create 100 new jobs in Wilson County and will invest more than $123 million in Wilson, North Carolina, to establish the company’s first major investment in the United States.
Believer Meats is an advanced food production operation closely aligned with the biotech industry that will incorporate innovative, healthy, ethical, and eco-friendly processes to produce cultivated meat. Also known as cultured meat, cultivated meat is genuine animal meat, including seafood and organ meats, that is produced by cultivating animal cells directly, eliminating the need to raise and farm animals for food. Cultivated meat is made of the same cell types arranged in the same or similar structure as animal tissues, thus replicating the sensory and nutritional profiles of conventional meat. In this new Wilson County facility, Believer Meats will be manufacturing chicken and lamb meat.
“Believer Meats’ announcement is the perfect amalgamation of our rich history in agriculture and life sciences, the biotechnology assets North Carolina has created over the past 50 years, and today’s advanced technology,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC). “North Carolina is paving the way to meet America’s future nutritional needs.”
Over the 10 months of project development, the EDPNC provided support to consulting teams and partners as real estate, labor, and cost of business were evaluated. At least three different states were considered, with the company ultimately landing in Wilson, North Carolina.
The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina would like to recognize the North Carolina Department of Commerce as well as other key partners involved in this project, including the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab, the Golden LEAF Foundation, Wilson Community College, Wilson County, the Wilson Economic Development Corporation, and Turning Point Workforce Development Board.