Fork & Good and Orbillion Unite to Build a Global Cultivated Red Meat Platform

Courtesy: Fork & Good

Two pioneers in cultivated meat are coming together to reshape how the world produces red meat. Fork & Good, a New Jersey-based startup known for its efficient cell cultivation process, has acquired Orbillion Bio, a Hub71 company celebrated for its ability to scale premium beef muscle cells. The merger brings together two complementary approaches under one global platform, uniting innovation, manufacturing, and market access across North America, Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East.

At a time when meat prices continue to climb and global protein supply chains are under strain, the move signals a decisive shift toward commercial maturity in cultivated meat. The newly integrated company, which has already established a subsidiary within Abu Dhabi Global Market, plans to expand regional operations and manufacturing capacity in the UAE. The decision also aligns with the country’s National Food Security Strategy and ambition to become a leader in sustainable food manufacturing.

“We’re not asking food manufacturers to wait years for solutions,” said Niya Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Fork & Good. “Our goal is to give them the ability to strengthen their supply chains and improve their products right now.”

Orbillion’s founder and CEO, Dr. Patricia Bubner, who will now serve as COO of the merged entity, described the acquisition as a natural fit. “Both companies share a B2B focus, proven customer traction, and complementary technology platforms. Together, we can deliver at scale, faster, smarter, and closer to where our customers operate.”

Fork & Good, founded in 2018 by Gupta alongside co-founders Gabor and Andras Forgacs, has built one of the most cost-efficient biomanufacturing systems in the sector. Its pilot facility in Jersey City can produce several tonnes of cultivated meat per year in less than 800 square feet, targeting eventual cost parity with conventional pork. Orbillion, on the other hand, achieved one of the industry’s earliest 200-litre production runs of cultivated Wagyu beef and developed proprietary algorithms that turn 2D cultures into 3D muscle tissue at record speed and low cost.

The combination, Gupta explained, “expands our ability to serve customers across multiple red meat categories, ensuring flexibility under different regulatory environments.” The merged company claims to now hold the largest and most defensible intellectual property portfolio in cultivated meat, covering essential cell lines, core production methods, and scalable bioprocess technologies.

Beyond technology, the deal underscores a broader trend in the alternative protein space: consolidation as a strategy for resilience. Following a wave of closures and mergers across the sector, from Meatable’s tie-up with Uncommon Bio to GFI’s acquisition of SciFi assets, companies are joining forces to survive tighter funding conditions and accelerate commercialization. Global investment in cultivated meat has fallen sharply since its 2021 peak, but strategic capital is gravitating toward those with a clear path to profitability.

Fork & Good’s “margin-first” model, focusing on mid-scale economic validation before large-scale expansion, has already attracted major food manufacturers. The company works exclusively B2B, supplying cultivated ingredients that enhance taste, nutrition, and functionality in red meat products such as burgers, sausages, and dumplings. Its customers, including Dutch meat producer Luiten Food, view the technology as a bridge between traditional meat and next-generation protein.

“Serving the customer of the future requires innovation,” said Luiten CEO Lennert Luiten. “Integrating cultivated meat into familiar formats allows us to strengthen supply chains and offer consumers better, more sustainable choices.”

The partnership also comes as the global red meat industry faces mounting volatility, from livestock diseases and feed shortages to extreme weather events disrupting production cycles. Cultivated meat, with its ability to produce animal muscle tissue in weeks instead of years, offers a critical lever for resilience and food sovereignty.

For Bubner, the acquisition is both a pragmatic and symbolic milestone. “We’ve entered the next phase of the industry,” she said. “Consolidation isn’t contraction; it’s maturation. By combining complementary strengths, we can deliver reliable products to the market and move from scientific feasibility to commercial reality.”

Fork & Good is preparing regulatory submissions in multiple markets, including the United States and Singapore, while its UAE subsidiary positions the company to serve the rapidly evolving Middle Eastern market. Production will continue at the Jersey City pilot site, supported by future facilities in Abu Dhabi.

For Gabor Forgacs, who helped launch the cultivated meat field more than a decade ago, the acquisition closes a circle. “When we founded Modern Meadow, we believed technology alone could drive adoption. Today, we understand that partnerships, scale, and customer-centricity are just as critical. This merger embodies that evolution.”

As global meat systems strain under the weight of demand, climate stress, and trade fragmentation, the Fork & Good, Orbillion merger stands out not as a speculative bet, but as a calculated step toward a more adaptive, decentralized protein economy, one where cultivated meat moves from the lab bench to the factory floor, and from niche innovation to mainstream supply chain solution.