Quest Meat
Quest Meat Limited is a UK-based B2B ingredients company developing licence-free primary cell lines and a patent-pending food-grade microcarrier and media supplement platform (NEUTRIX, NEUSOL, CULT-GRO) that enables cultivated-meat and alternative-protein producers to scale production at reduced cost.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Quest Meat does
Quest Meat Limited is a UK-based B2B ingredients company, founded in 2021 and headquartered at Birmingham Research Park, that develops enabling technologies for the cultivated meat and alternative protein industries. Its product portfolio centres on (i) licence-free primary cell lines — myosatellites, adipose-derived stem cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells harvested from bovine, porcine and water buffalo breeds (Aberdeen Angus, British Blue, Limousine) and validated over a minimum of 10 consecutive passages in stirred bioreactors — and (ii) a patent-pending multi-format ingredients platform comprising NEUTRIX (a food-grade edible microcarrier that doubles as scaffolding for stem-cell attachment and as a structural component of the final meat product) and NEUSOL (a low-cost soluble media supplement intended to replace engineered growth factors and bovine serum). CULT-GRO, co-developed with Multus Biotechnology and University College London, integrates both ingredients into a single cell-culture platform. A 'protein-based ingredient' for plant-based foods is listed as 'Coming Soon'.
The company monetises through per-vial cell-line sales — £1,000/vial for academic research-only buyers and £2,000/vial for company/start-up research-only buyers, each vial containing 1 million live cells at passage 1 — alongside bespoke commercial licensing and royalty arrangements for broader use, plus technology licensing of NEUTRIX, NEUSOL and CULT-GRO to cultivated-meat producers and value-chain companies. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales via [email protected] with a CellBase marketplace listing for global self-serve access. Four customer segments are addressed: cultivated-meat producers (primary), alternative-protein value-chain companies, academic/research organisations, and plant-based food producers.
Quest is led by two ReNeuron alumni — Michael Hunt (ex-CEO/CFO/COO) and John Sinden (ex-CSO, also co-founder of Glialign) — together with CEO Ivan Wall (PhD cell biology, MBA; ex-UCL/Aston), CSO Petra Hanga (PhD Regenerative Medicine; UCL-affiliated) and COOs Ella Hodder (ex cultivated-meat scientist in Australia) and Nuno Madeira do Ó (ex-Head of International BD at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult). The company has been primarily funded to date by non-dilutive grants: roughly £1.55M from Innovate UK (a £520K NEUTRIX/NEUSOL project with the University of Birmingham, a £1M CULT-GRO project with Multus and UCL, and an unstated amount from the UKRI Technology Missions Fund Engineering Biology CR&D competition), plus €30,000 from the EIT Food Accelerator Network. No commercial revenue has been publicly disclosed.
Quest Meat firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Quest Meat
- Legal name
- Quest Meat Limited
- Website
- https://questmeat.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Quest Meat Limited is a UK-based B2B ingredients company developing licence-free primary cell lines and a patent-pending food-grade microcarrier and media supplement platform (NEUTRIX, NEUSOL, CULT-GRO) that enables cultivated-meat and alternative-protein producers to scale production at reduced cost.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Quest Meat industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultivated Meat Ingredients
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cell Line Development & Banking (Food/AG Cell Lines) (AFANAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cell Culture Media & Growth Factor Suppliers (Food-Grade) (AFANAKAD), Specialty & Novel Proteins (Single-Cell Protein, Cell-Cultured/Animal-Free Proteins) (AFAJAHAL)
Keywords
Where Quest Meat is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Quest Meat business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Primary cell line sales: Sale of licence-free primary cell lines (myosatellites, adipose-derived stem cells) from bovine, porcine, and water buffalo species to research organisations and companies. Priced per vial (1M cells at passage 1–2). One-time transaction model with commercial licensing available for broader use.
- Ingredient platform licensing: Licensing of patent-pending ingredient platforms (NEUTRIX, NEUSOL, CULT-GRO) to cultivated meat producers and value chain companies. Revenue derived from technology licensing, formulation delivery, and potentially royalties tied to commercial production scale.
- R&D funding and grants: Non-dilutive funding from government bodies (Innovate UK, UKRI, EIT Food) for specific technology development projects. Not a commercial revenue stream but supports R&D and product development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Academic/research pricing: £1,000 per vial |
| Other | Multi-year contract | EIT Food grant: €30,000 for NEUTRIX tech validation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Quest Meat product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Quest Meat sells licence-free primary cell lines (bovine, porcine, and water buffalo myosatellites and adipose-derived stem cells) as cryovials to research organisations and cultivated meat producers, and is developing a patent-pending multi-format ingredients platform (NEUTRIX edible microcarrier/scaffolding and NEUSOL soluble media supplement, co-developed as CULT-GRO with Multus and UCL) that replaces costly growth factors and bovine serum at industrial scale.
Product overview
Quest Meat is an ingredients company providing innovative solutions for the alternative protein and cultivated meat sectors. Their product portfolio includes: (1) Primary Cell Lines - licence-free myosatellite and adipose-derived stem cells from bovine, porcine, and water buffalo species with multiple breeds; (2) NEUTRIX - an edible microcarrier material serving as scaffolding for suspension cell culture; (3) NEUSOL - a low-cost soluble media supplement replacing costly engineered growth factors; and (4) CULT-GRO - a cell culture ingredients platform developed in partnership with Multus and UCL for low-cost meat cell culture. These enabling technologies work together to address the key bottlenecks of taste, texture, and cost of production at commercial scale for cultivated meat.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NEUTRIX: Nutrient-rich edible physical scaffolding for cell culture in cultivated meat production.
- NEUSOL
- CULT-GRO
Products and services
- Primary Cell Lines (Bovine, Porcine, Water Buffalo) Cryovials containing 1 million cells at passage 1–2, delivered with certificate of analysis and validated protocols for thawing, maintenance, subculturing, and differentiation. Sold licence-free to research organisations and cultivated meat producers globally, shipped on dry ice.
- NEUTRIX Patent-pending nutrient-rich edible physical scaffolding (microcarrier) for cell culture that promotes cell growth, enables suspension cell culture, and forms part of the final cultivated meat product. Food-grade and designed for ambient storage and shipping.
- NEUSOL Patent-pending low-cost soluble media supplement that overcomes the cost, bioavailability, and efficiency challenges of engineered proteins and growth factors in cell culture. Reduces manufacturing costs versus traditional media ingredients and supports replacing bovine serum.
- CULT-GRO Cell culture ingredients platform combining nutrients for cell growth with edible physical scaffolding, enabling cultivated meat production scale-up at a fraction of current cost. Combines Quest's licence-free primary cell banks and microcarriers with Multus's growth media expertise for integrated solution.
Quantifiable outcome
- Land use efficiency improvement: 60–300% for poultry, 2000–4000% for beef (per Good Food Institute data cited by company)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Quest Meat
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Quest Meat technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Quest Meat partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Campden BRIcoreIn collaboration with Campden BRI, Quest Meat conducts comprehensive food safety screenings and nutritional composition testing of NEUTRIX, supported by the €30,000 EIT Food Accelerator Network award. The outcomes are intended to reassure customers of food-grade standards, assist product commercialisation, and expedite regulatory approval for cultivated meat products using Quest ingredients.
- University of BirminghamcoreQuest Meat and the University of Birmingham partnered on a £520,000 R&D project to advance Quest Meat's NEUTRIX and NEUSOL ingredient platforms. The University contributes formulation engineering expertise for food stability and storage. The project tests stability and shelf life of NEUTRIX and NEUSOL, including ambient storage/shipping conditions. Co-funded by Innovate UK's Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems competition.
- Multus BiotechnologycoreQuest Meat and Multus formed an R&D partnership to co-develop CULT-GRO, a cell culture ingredients platform for cultivated meat production, with support from UCL's Dept. of Biochemical Engineering. Co-funded by Innovate UK's Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems competition with a £1 million investment. The partnership combines Quest Meat's licence-free primary cell banks and microcarriers with Multus's growth media expertise to deliver technology enabling cultivated meat scale-up at a fraction of current cost.
- University College London (UCL)coreUCL's Dept. of Biochemical Engineering provides validation studies and bioreactor testing for the CULT-GRO platform developed with Quest Meat and Multus. The UCL team, led by Assistant Professor and Quest Meat Co-founder Petra Hanga, supports testing in state-of-the-art facilities. UCL is home to the largest academic bioprocess group in the world and hosts the EPSRC Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA).
- CellBaseminorCellBase serves as a marketplace distribution partner for Quest Meat's cell lines, listing them at cellbase.com/collections/quest for purchase by research and commercial buyers globally.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Quest Meat competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Multus Biotechnology: UK cultivated meat media company developing affordable growth and proliferation media for cell-based meat production. Direct co-development partner with Quest Meat on the CULT-GRO platform via a £1M Innovate UK-funded project with UCL; both target the same media cost-reduction bottleneck for cultivated meat producers.
- Gelatex: Estonia-based materials technology company producing scalable, edible nanofiber microcarriers for cultivated meat cell culture. Directly comparable to Quest Meat's NEUTRIX scaffolding product and competing for the same cultivated meat producer customers on scaffolding cost and scalability.
- Biftek: Canadian producer of affordable FGF2 growth factors for cultivated meat applications, derived from slaughterhouse blood byproducts. Targets the same cost-down challenge as Quest Meat's NEUSOL media supplement, making it a direct alternative for cultivated meat producers seeking cheaper growth factors.
Broad incumbents
- Wildtype: US-based cultivated seafood company producing cell-cultured salmon at commercial scale. Operates downstream of Quest Meat in the cultivated protein value chain and could be a large-scale buyer of cell lines, microcarriers, and media supplements from inputs suppliers like Quest.
- Meatable: Netherlands-based cultivated meat producer developing pork and beef using proprietary cell lines and a single-step bioprocess. A downstream cultivated-meat incumbent that could either license Quest's enabling technologies or build alternatives in-house, depending on cost-parity trajectory.
- Aleph Farms: Israel-headquartered cultivated beef producer scaling commercial production with proprietary cell lines and 3D tissue structuring. A downstream customer in the cultivated meat value chain whose input sourcing decisions directly affect Quest Meat's addressable revenue.
- Upside Foods: US-based cultivated poultry and meat producer with proprietary cell lines, bioreactor processes, and FDA approval for cultivated chicken. Potential large-scale customer for Quest's enabling technologies if it adopts third-party cell lines or cost-down media ingredients in its commercial pipeline.
- Eat Just: US-based food technology company operating the Good Meat cultivated meat brand alongside plant-based JUST Egg. A downstream alternative-protein incumbent; depending on its in-house vs. third-party R&D strategy, it could be a meaningful customer for Quest's cell lines and ingredient platforms.
- BlueNalu: US-based cultivated seafood company developing cell-cultured fish, shrimp, and other marine species. Operates downstream of Quest Meat and could be a buyer of cell lines and bioprocessing inputs as it scales commercial production of cultivated seafood.
Others
- Perfect Day: US-based precision fermentation company producing animal-free dairy proteins (whey, casein) via engineered microorganisms. Operates in the alternative protein sector with overlapping end-customers but uses fermentation rather than cell cultivation, making it adjacent rather than directly comparable to Quest Meat.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Quest Meat social profiles
Digital presenceQuest Meat compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Quest Meat financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Quest Meat leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Quest Meat funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Quest Meat M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Quest Meat
What does Quest Meat do?
Quest Meat sells licence-free primary cell lines (bovine, porcine, and water buffalo myosatellites and adipose-derived stem cells) as cryovials to research organisations and cultivated meat producers, and is developing a patent-pending multi-format ingredients platform (NEUTRIX edible microcarrier/scaffolding and NEUSOL soluble media supplement, co-developed as CULT-GRO with Multus and UCL) that replaces costly growth factors and bovine serum at industrial scale.
Is Quest Meat a public or private company?
Quest Meat is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Quest Meat founded?
Quest Meat was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Quest Meat based?
Quest Meat is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Quest Meat make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Primary cell line sales are the primary driver. The others are ingredient platform licensing and R&D funding and grants.
Who are Quest Meat's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Multus Biotechnology, Gelatex and Biftek. Broad incumbents are Wildtype, Meatable, Aleph Farms, Upside Foods, Eat Just and BlueNalu. Perfect Day is listed as an others.
Does Quest Meat have an API?
No public API is recorded for Quest Meat.
What industry is Quest Meat in?
Quest Meat's product category is Cultivated Meat Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANAKAE, Cell Line Development & Banking (Food/AG Cell Lines), with a secondary code of AFANAKAD, Cell Culture Media & Growth Factor Suppliers (Food-Grade). Its SIC code is 2000.