ORF Genetics Secures €5 Million to Accelerate Cultivated Meat Production

Reykjavík, Iceland, 10, September 2025 — ORF Genetics has successfully secured €5 million in a new financing round, with participation from both existing and new shareholders. The capital will enable the company to significantly scale up production capacity of its specialized proteins, which are key components in cultivated meat production. Arctica Finance served as financial advisor for the capital raise.

Cultivated meat production is rapidly transitioning from research to commercial reality, with regulatory approvals increasing and new markets opening worldwide. As demand accelerates, ORF Genetics is positioned as a key enabler for cultivated meat producers scaling to industrial levels.

Over the past five years, ORF Genetics has developed MESOkine, a product line of growth factor proteins tailored to cultivated meat production. MESOkine is already a recognized and trusted brand among key players in the cultivated meat sector.

To meet growing demand, ORF Genetics plans to expand its MESOkine production capacity to unprecedented levels: Fourteenfold by 2027, and by a factor of 10,000 by 2032.

The company is also expanding the financing round, with a goal of raising up to €7 million by mid-October.

“We are at a pivotal moment,” says Berglind Rán Ólafsdóttir, CEO of ORF Genetics. “This funding ensures that ORF can meet the imminent surge in commercial opportunities and supports the company’s next growth phase. We plan to expand the round by the end of October and welcome new investors to join us in building a company that holds a key position in a market with tremendous growth potential.”

At the core of ORF’s technology is the production of growth factors in bioengineered barley—a sustainable, safe, and cost-effective method that replaces traditional, more expensive, and less environmentally friendly production systems. With this unique approach, ORF Genetics has established a solid international footprint and is now a key enabler in building scalable solutions for the cultivated meat industry. Notably, cultivated meat products from Australian company VOW, made with ORF’s growth factors, are already on the market.

About ORF Genetics

ORF Genetics is an innovative plant biotechnology company and a pioneer in developing and manufacturing high-quality specialty proteins in bioengineered barley plants. With ORFEUS, ORF Genetics’ unique expression system, the barley grain can be used as a vehicle for large-scale protein production that is highly efficient, eco-friendly and good-grade system. This technology has allowed ORF Genetics to develop a portfolio of specialty proteins, including a portfolio of animal growth factors called MESOkine, specifically developed for cultivated meat production.