A delegation from global technology company Shimadzu Corporation, including a member of its Japanese management, visited BeneMeat, a Czech biotechnology company developing technology for cultivated meat production. The visit opened the door to further dialogue between the two companies and is another example of growing interest in BeneMeat’s technology from major international companies.
The delegation also included Mr. Masami Tomita, Managing Executive Officer of Shimadzu Corporation in Japan, together with representatives of the company’s European branches. Shimadzu selected BeneMeat as one of its key customers in the Czech Republic to introduce to the Japanese delegation. BeneMeat already uses several Shimadzu analytical and chromatography instruments in its laboratories, providing a natural basis for a broader discussion on biotechnology and its industrial applications.
During the visit, the delegation toured BeneMeat’s laboratories and learned about the company’s comprehensive approach to cultivated meat, from cell line and culture media development to bioprocessing, analytical methods and quality control, as well as automation, software, production scale-up and final product development.
BeneMeat brings together more than 150 experts and develops a complete technology for cultivated meat production. The company has already become the first to register the production of its cultivated meat as a feed material for pet food in the EU, and its technology is now entering commercial use. BeneMeat’s cultivated meat is now commercially available as the key ingredient in Coolty Meat by the Italian brand FORZA10, representing the market’s first complete wet dog food powered by cultivated technology.
The visit provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the development of cultivated meat technology and the challenges involved in bringing biotechnology from research to industrial-scale production. For BeneMeat, dialogue with global technology companies is an important part of connecting biotechnology development with the engineering and industrial expertise required for large-scale manufacturing.
“Japan has an exceptionally strong combination of biotechnology, precision engineering and industrial know-how. We see an opportunity to combine these strengths with the practical industrial experience that BeneMeat has built in Europe. Industrial-scale cultivated meat production requires sterile manufacturing and specialized process control — areas in which Japanese industry has a high level of expertise,” says Veronika Juřicová, Deputy CEO, Japan, BeneMeat.
Shimadzu is involved in the development of analytical technologies and edible cell-culture media for cellular agriculture, including through its participation in the Consortium for Future Innovation by Cultured Meat. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange views on 3D bioprinting, production automation, and other technologies that may contribute to the future development of the field.
The Prague meeting is part of BeneMeat’s broader efforts to build international relationships not only with industrial, food and pet food companies, but also with representatives of the public sector and key regulatory authorities. The company will continue these discussions directly in Japan, including at BioJapan 2026 in Yokohama, where BeneMeat will exhibit and its CEO, Roman Kříž, will speak at the event. BeneMeat will also take part in the Foodtech Co-Creation Seminar with Hokkaido’s Food Industry in Sapporo, a related event of the Japan Cell-Ag-READY Dialogue 2026, at the invitation of Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi of the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA). The seminar is co-organized by the Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and JACA.
Cultivated meat
Cultivated meat, also known as cultured meat or cell-based meat, is real animal meat produced by directly growing animal cells in a controlled environment instead of raising and slaughtering animals. The process begins with a small sample of animal cells, which are nourished with essential nutrients and guided to form muscle, fat, and connective tissue, replicating natural biological growth. The result is meat that is biologically identical to conventional meat but can be produced more sustainably, with lower environmental impact and improved animal welfare. A term Cultivated meat refers to meat (including muscle cells, fat cells, connective tissue, blood, and other components) produced by cultivating animal cells, not by slaughtering a live animal. (Source: New Harvest – a research institute that aims to accelerate progress in cellular agriculture).
BeneMeat
BeneMeat is a biotech company, part of the BTL Group, focused on developing scalable and efficient cultivated meat production technology. Since 2020, the company has developed deep, end-to-end expertise across biology, chemistry, hardware, software, and commercial implementation of cultivated meat. With 150+ R&D experts, BeneMeat is building the complete technological ecosystem, from versatile cell line development to scalable, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing solutions. The company is prepared to support manufacturers through all the key challenges of bringing cultivated meat to market: technical, legal, regulatory, and commercial. BeneMeat is the first in the EU to be registered as a producer of cultivated meat for pet food (Autumn 2023), proving our regulatory leadership in this space. “We are not just another company in cultivated meat, we are the technology partner shaping its future.”
