UPSIDE Foods, a leading cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, announced that it selected the greater Chicagoland region for its first large-scale cultivated meat production plant. The 187,000-square-foot plant, based in Glenview, Illinois, will start by producing ground cultivated chicken products, with plans to expand to other species and whole-textured formats in the future. With an initial capacity to produce millions of pounds of cultivated meat products per year and the potential to expand to over 30 million pounds, the plant represents a significant step forward in achieving the company's vision of creating a more humane, sustainable, and resilient food system.
The state-of-the-art plant, designed to house cultivators with capacities of up to 100,000 liters, will stand as one of the world's largest and most advanced commercial cultivated meat facilities. Building upon the knowledge gained from UPSIDE's Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC) in California, UPSIDE's new plant will cultivate meat at commercial scales and serve as a guiding force for UPSIDE's future endeavors in scaling up its operations to the next level.
"We're excited that the next chapter of our journey towards building a more sustainable, humane, and abundant future will be in Illinois," said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of UPSIDE Foods. "Establishing our plant in this region allows us to tap into a remarkable talent pool, a thriving innovation ecosystem, and a notable history of meat production. We are grateful for the collaboration and partnership that we have built at the state, county, and local levels in our site selection process."
UPSIDE's selection of Glenview was driven by the region's esteemed legacy in meat production, a shared commitment to innovation and sustainability and strategic geographical advantages. Located at major transportation crossroads, the plant will serve as an ideal hub for large-scale production, distribution, and sale of cultivated meat products.
Following its acquisition of Wisconsin-based cultivated seafood company Cultured Decadence, UPSIDE Foods is furthering its commitment to the Midwest with a planned investment of more than $140 million in the region, along with the creation of more than 75 new jobs, from warehousing and logistics positions to bioprocessing and food production, as well as other commercial functions.
UPSIDE has selected Jacobs, a renowned global leader in engineering and technology solutions, as its design and manufacturing partner for its facility.
UPSIDE selected the name "Rubicon" for its first large-scale cultivated meat production plant with an appreciation for its historical significance as a point of no return. This choice reflects the company's commitment to redefine the future of food.
About UPSIDE Foods
Based in Berkeley, California, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry and seafood directly from animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. Founded as the world's first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being granted approval to sell cultivated meat in the United States in June 2023 and completing the first consumer sale of cultivated meat in the U.S. The company believes that people shouldn't have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times' Good Tech Awards, FastCo's Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, Future Ventures, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.
