Campus - 05.03.2025 - 10:28
Caption: Sallea founders Nicole Kleger, Anna Bünter and Simona Fehlmann.
Burgers, salmon fillets or steaks from cell cultures: this so-called “cultured meat” has huge potential. According to the NGO Good Food Institute Europe, up to 92 per cent less CO2 is emitted during its production than during conventional practices. Land use and air pollution are also over 90 per cent lower. “Sustainability is important to us and makes our work meaningful,” says Anna Bünter. The 28-year-old HSG graduate co-founded the startup Sallea in November 2023 with ETH graduates Simona Fehlmann and Nicole Kleger. Sallea develops plant-based scaffolds in which cell cultures grow into pieces of meat. “This makes it possible for the first time to produce whole pieces of meat such as fillets, steaks or chicken breasts,” says Bünter.
To cultivate meat or fish, animal cells are mixed with nutrients in a steel tank. However, the product that is created after a few weeks is not solid meat, but a thick liquid. So far, this has only been used to produce products such as sausages, chicken nuggets or burgers. This is where Sallea wants to start: the scaffolds make any type and form of meat, such as steaks or fillets, possible. “The scaffolds are adaptable and can be easily integrated into existing bioreactors,” writes Sallea.
The process behind it was developed by Fehlmann and Kleger in intensive research in the field of materials science at ETH: in the first step, a 3D printer creates a negative mould out of salt. Plant mass is then poured into this mould. This can consist of plant proteins, cellulose or algae, for example. In the next step, the salt is completely washed out, leaving only the edible scaffold made of plant material. Cell cultures can be grown on this and develop into a piece of meat.
“There are many companies around the world that are working on and conducting research into the production of cultured meat. However, so far no company has been able to produce whole pieces of meat cost-effectively and efficiently,” says Bünter. The scaffolds are currently being used on a trial basis by various startups. Bünter estimates that it will take another five to ten years before steaks and other products made using Sallea technology are available in supermarkets. “On the one hand, the approval processes for this take a long time because the authorities have little experience with the technology. On the other hand, a cultural change is also needed among consumers.”
In addition to sustainability, Bünter emphasises that there are other advantages of cultured meat: “When it is produced in a controlled environment, no antibiotics are needed and the cultured fish is not contaminated with microplastics like those from natural waters.” The nutrients in the cultured product are also largely identical to meat from animals.
Sallea is therefore conducting research and working in a field that is changing rapidly. This has attracted the interest of various funding agencies and investors: Sallea has so far received investments of around 2.2 million Swiss francs and non-equity funding of almost 2 million. There are currently six employees working in the team.
In the small Sallea team, Bünter is responsible for strategy development and investor contacts. “My network from my studies at HSG also helps me in this regard. I know a few people who have already founded startups themselves or work with investors.”
In general, her time at HSG was formative for her as a startup founder: “The culture on campus is practice-oriented – if you have an idea, you implement it and find support for it,” she says. For example, Bünter was a member of Oikos St.Gallen, an association of HSG students that promotes sustainability in teaching and business. “I also found internships thanks to networking with fellow students.”
Sallea is now facing a major challenge, but also an opportunity: “There is currently no industry standard, and we would like to set one with our scaffolds,” says Bünter.
