A glimpse into food's future
An Australian foodtech startup is putting cultivated meat treats on the map.
Australian cultivated meat startup Vow is turning heads with the launch of the world’s first cultured quail foie gras.
Forged Gras made its debut last month at upscale venues in Singapore, and also became the first cultured meat product to hit the Hong Kong market.
Unlike traditional foie gras, which relies on resource-heavy farming and has faced backlash for animal welfare concerns, Vow's creation was crafted in stainless steel tanks in a Sydney factory.
Using cells from Japanese quail, Vow says its Forged Gras delivers the rich, fatty liver experience beloved by foodies, without harming animals or requiring intensive farming.
The Forged brand is not just a culinary innovation – it also seeks to address the sustainability and ethical challenges of traditional meat production.
The launch comes at a time of rising global demand for meat, which contributes nearly 60% of emissions from food production. Cultured meat, in contrast, has lower emissions, water usage, and land requirements.
Vow doesn’t see itself as a competitor to traditional meat, however. Instead, the company positions its products as complementary, offering new experiences rather than simply mimicking existing ones.
"By fostering culinary imagination, we aim to create something entirely new, unconstrained by the tradition of even the oldest delicacies"
"At Vow, we’re paving a new path for food by using innovative technology to address real challenges around foods that people want but can’t access," Vow founder and CEO George Peppou said.
"The launch of Forged Gras continues our mission to bring scarce or never-before-seen foods to millions but does so in a way that seeks to innovate, not imitate."
Carving out a new niche
This isn’t Vow’s first foray into the spotlight. In April, the company introduced Forged Parfait, a cultured Japanese quail parfait, at the prestigious Mandala Club’s Mori restaurant in Singapore – the first location in the world to approve cultivated meat.
Vow has regulatory applications underway in several jurisdictions, and said it expected to be in several additional markets by the end of 2025.
While Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has yet to approve cultured meat, Vow has pushed ahead internationally. The startup says it is currently the only one among more than 100 cultivated meat startups actively selling its products in more than one market.
Backed by $56 million in funding from investors including Blackbird, Toyota Ventures, PeakBridge, and SquarePeg, Vow now boasts two facilities fitted out with its own custom-designed production equipment and more than 100 staff, including Ines Lizaur, a former SpaceX engineer from the US who is now leading its manufacturing.
Founded in 2019, Vow has fast-tracked its operations and achieved regulatory approval for its novel foods in less than five years – which the startup says is half the time and at a fraction of the cost of its competitors.
By blending culinary creativity with cutting-edge science, Vow now aims to prove that cultured meat isn’t just a futuristic concept, but a scalable, sustainable solution.
"By fostering culinary imagination, we aim to create something entirely new, unconstrained by the tradition of even the oldest delicacies," Peppou said.
Vow operates two factories locally, with plans for a third, larger facility in development. The startup has designed, built, and now operates its own manufacturing platform – including a food-grade cell culture bioreactor – with a combined capacity of 40,000L. Vow says it has served nearly 10,000 portions of cultured meat under the Forged brand.
