8. Hoxton Farms: the startup fattening up meat alternatives

Founders: Ed Steele and Max Jamilly
Year founded: 2020
Website: hoxtonfarms.com

From lab-grown chicken to 3D-printed salmon, meat alternatives are a major area of innovation today. Yet, despite great scientific minds working in the field, one ingredient has left a bad taste in meat lovers’ mouths: fat.

The creaminess and viscosity of fat is still missing from mock meats. It’s a disappointment that Max Jamilly and Ed Steele experienced. Like many, they wanted to reduce their meat intake. Upon trying available replicas, though, they found “burgers that taste like coconut.”

Jamilly, a synthetic biologist, knew what the issue was. Plant-based suppliers were having to use unappetising plant oils, with no other cruelty-free option available. Together with childhood friend and machine learning expert Steele, the duo resolved to combine their computational modelling and cell biology skills to make the UK’s first cultured-fat plant.

Yes, we do mean machine learning. Employing smart computing enables Hoxton Farms to choose the juiciest, tastiest cells to reproduce. Combined with plant-based proteins, this ‘hybrid’ meat-free foodstuff delivers flavour, sizzle, and aroma.

Consumers need mouthwatering options, and the key to unlocking them is fat.

In further good news for foodies, replacing unstable, liquid plant oils would mean that food manufacturers could finally move into whole cuts, such as steak or pork belly, bringing more options to supermarket shelves than just bacon and burgers.

So far, so good. But Steele and Jamilly had all the ideas, without the gear. With no magic money pot to fund the idea, they had to get creative. By borrowing lab space from friends, winning chemistry competitions, and stuffing plant-based products with real animal fat, they built up enough savings and interest to cultivate their first fatty proof-of-concept.

Life began as a single cell. Hoxton Farms has also developed quickly. Since appearing at #21 in our Index last year, the team has opened a 14,000sqft pilot facility, from where they will continue with R&D and begin producing their first commercial products.

Even more excitingly, the company has also signed its first customers. Thanks to a savvy approach to scale-up, they have been able to accelerate their time to market and surpass indirect lab-grown meat competitors (fat is apparently much faster to grow than muscle).

Cultivated fat could crack the code for meat-free producers. Research has shown that poor taste is the primary factor preventing repeat purchases of meatless meats. “Consumers need mouthwatering options,” says Jamilly, “and the key to unlocking them is fat.”

In 2025, the future looks fatty. That’s why Hoxton Farms is our eighth top startup this year.