Aussie foodtech startup creates doco (and global headlines) with mammoth meatball
Imagine digging a fork into an entree of mammoth. Australian food-tech startup Vow has made this a reality using DNA from an extinct mammoth to create a meatball – and make headlines around the world in the process.
The mammoth meatball, which was revealed at the Nemo Science Museum in the Netherlands, is the result of a scientific experiment and creative collaboration between Vow, Wunderman Thompson Benelux, Wefilm and a group of international experts to demonstrate the potential of cultured meat to revolutionize the food industry.
The Mammoth Meatball concept aims to challenge the public and the meat industry to think differently about how food is produced and consumed and generate awareness of cultured meat as a viable alternative to traditional animal agriculture.
To help propel awareness, the team created a short documentary led by Wefilm and directed by Juliette Stevens.
Bas Korsten, initiator of the project and global chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson, says: “Our aim is to start a conversation about how we eat, and what the future alternatives can look and taste like. Cultured meat is meat, but not as we know it. It’s the future.”
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Vow, which positions the start-up as Australia's first cultured meat company, will launch its first brand, Forged by Vow, in Singapore later this year. The brand aims to create “dining experiences unlike anything seen before.”
In November 2022, the company announced $49.2m series A funding to continue its mission, bringing forth the next generation of food products fit for a rising population.