Singapore-based cultivated seafood company Umami Bioworks has set its sights on disrupting South Korea's seafood market and is teaming up with biotech firm KCell Biosciences, and bioprocessing provider WSG to do it. The company is building the country's first large-scale cultivated seafood production facility. This move positions the company as a leading player in the rapidly growing food tech space, helping to address environmental concerns tied to traditional fishing while also catering to South Korea’s strong demand for seafood.
The Growing Appetite for Cultivated Seafood
South Korea ranks among the highest consumers of seafood per capita globally, making it a prime market for Umami Bioworks to introduce its cultivated seafood products. With increasing pressure on the global seafood supply chain due to overfishing and climate change, the need for sustainable alternatives is more critical than ever. South Korea’s regulatory body, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has already made strides toward advancing the commercialization of cultivated meat by inviting applications for regulatory approval earlier this year.
In collaboration with KCell Biosciences and WSG, Umami Bioworks aims to establish a scalable production pipeline that focuses on cultivated species such as eel and tuna. These species, often endangered due to overfishing, are central to Umami’s mission to provide sustainable seafood options without the environmental degradation caused by traditional fishing practices.
Strategic Partnerships for Scalable Growth
The key to Umami Bioworks’ expansion into South Korea lies in its strategic partnerships. Each partner in the collaboration brings specialized expertise that supports the overarching goal of cost-effective, scalable production. KCell Biosciences will provide affordable, efficient cell culture media, an essential component in producing cultivated seafood. Cell culture media accounts for a significant portion of production costs in the cultivated meat sector, so KCell’s innovations will help drive down these expenses.
WSG, on the other hand, contributes bioreactor systems designed to scale up production efficiently. These bioreactors are critical to producing cultivated seafood on a commercial scale, allowing the consortium to meet the demand for large volumes of high-quality seafood without depleting natural resources.
CEO Mihir Pershad of Umami Bioworks has outlined the company’s ambitious plans to create a “plug-and-play” system for cultivated seafood production. This modular design allows for flexibility across different species and production scales, which is crucial for adapting to the diverse demands of different markets. In South Korea, where seafood is often consumed raw, ensuring product quality and safety will be paramount. Pershad has emphasized that working closely with South Korean regulators will help ensure the smooth introduction of these products to consumers.
“With WSG and K-Cell’s history of delivering high-quality bioprocess equipment and culture media, we will work closely together to optimize our production solution and to bring the first cultivated food production facility to South Korea.” Mihir Pershad
Regulatory Challenges and Market Opportunities
As a pioneering company in the cultivated seafood space, Umami Bioworks faces the dual challenge of navigating regulatory landscapes while also educating consumers about the benefits of its products. South Korea, however, is well-positioned to support this transition. The government has created a regulatory-free special zone designed to foster innovation in cultivated foods, including seafood. Furthermore, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is investing nearly ₩28.6 billion ($21 million) in research funding to support the development of plant-based and cultivated seafood technologies.
Consumer education will be a vital part of Umami Bioworks’ strategy. Despite growing interest in sustainable and alternative proteins, many consumers remain unfamiliar with the concept of cultivated seafood. Pershad has acknowledged the importance of educating consumers about the health benefits of cultivated seafood, such as the absence of microplastics, heavy metals, and parasites, all of which are concerns associated with wild-caught fish. These messages will be especially relevant in a market like South Korea, where seafood consumption is ingrained in the cultural and culinary landscape.
Umami Bioworks: From Startup to Industry Leader
Founded in 2020, Umami Bioworks (originally known as Umami Meats) has quickly established itself as a leader in the cultivated seafood sector. The company uses cutting-edge technologies such as stem cell biology, machine learning, and automation to grow seafood from fish cells in a lab environment. By focusing on species that are either endangered or at risk due to overfishing, Umami Bioworks positions itself as a sustainable alternative to conventional seafood.
Since its inception, Umami Bioworks has secured funding from several key investors, including Hatch Blue and Aqua-Spark, both of which are prominent supporters of sustainable aquaculture initiatives. This financial backing has allowed the company to pursue ambitious expansion plans, including its recent acquisition of Shiok Meats, a startup specializing in cultivated crustaceans. Umami has also formed strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Maruha Nichiro, a Japanese seafood giant, as part of its efforts to establish a robust cultivated seafood infrastructure across Asia.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Cultivated Seafood
The partnership between Umami Bioworks, KCell Biosciences, and WSG represents more than just a business expansion. It is a bold step toward redefining the seafood industry by integrating sustainability, innovation, and scalability. South Korea’s established infrastructure in culture media and biopharmaceuticals provides a solid foundation for Umami’s ambitious plans to scale up production. In the long term, the company envisions not only reaching price parity with traditional seafood but eventually offering cultivated alternatives at even lower prices.
By creating a model for scalable production and regulatory compliance in South Korea, Umami Bioworks hopes to replicate this success across Asia, further solidifying its position as a global leader in the cultivated seafood industry. As cultivated seafood becomes more mainstream, partnerships like these will be instrumental in shaping a more sustainable, accessible future for the world’s seafood supply.
In a world increasingly concerned with environmental sustainability and food security, Umami Bioworks is charting a course toward a new era of seafood production, one that balances consumer demand with ecological responsibility.
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