Bell boss: burgers made from cultured meat in around three years’ time
Published: Friday, May 10th 2024, 08:50
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The retiring Bell CEO Lorenz Wyss expects burgers made from cultured meat to be available in Switzerland in around three years' time. "However, you probably won't be able to buy the products in supermarkets straight away, but in restaurants first."
In an interview with the NZZ published on Friday, Bell's CEO explained that only individual ingredients, such as the fat, may be cultured at the beginning. Bell acquired a stake in the Dutch producer of cultured beef Mosa Meat in 2018 and expanded this holding in 2020.
The original goal of offering a burger made from cultured meat for 10 francs by 2021 has now been abandoned. But that's the same for everyone in the industry, says Wyss. However, the boss, who is stepping down as CEO at the end of June after 13 years, reaffirms his commitment to the company: "If the technology works, it will be a real addition to traditional meat production, and we have to be part of it."
However, he is critical of other investments made by the Group abroad. "A large proportion of these would probably no longer be made today," says Wyss. Large parts of German Zimbo, for example, have been sold off over time. "The high expectations that specialties such as Thuringian bratwurst could be sold at a reasonable price on the German market were not met by a long shot."
The purchase of German ham specialist Abraham and the focus on ham have paid off. "We have a market share of 20 to 25 percent and can talk to retailers on an equal footing," says Wyss.
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