Fellow Braai Brus, errr, Climate Warriors,
๐Today weโre grabbing a drink with Brett Thompson, co-founder and CEO of Mzansi Meat, the African continentโs first cellular agriculture startup.
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Brett has deep roots in ๐ฆanimal advocacy and has worked in alternative protein for over a decade in ๐ฟ๐ฆSouth Africa and ๐ฉ๐ชGermany, focusing on using innovation to drive better food systems, specifically by cultivating quality meat without harming animals.
๐ป Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audacy and Substack๐
Thank you for your continued support. Weโre grateful to have you with us, fighting the good fight with a cool beverage in hand.
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๐ Show Notes Below๐
๐ง New podcast episode:
Brett Thompson, co-founder and CEO of Mzansi Meat, on effective solutions in food systems:
โI think there needs to be a bouquet of solutions. I donโt think plant-based is the only solution; I donโt think unprocessed, regenerative farming, any of those things alone are solutions - rather I think you need to add a hell of a lot of things to it. And I think cultivated meat adds to that, because thereโs not one silver bullet. People want to eat meat, and this provides an opportunityโฆ Itโs about how we innovate and improve that process.โ
Brett and co-founder Tasneem Karodia started the cultivated meat industry in Africa by establishing the first company of its kind on the continent. They introduce a more efficient, sustainable and ethical means of creating animal protein products, and have started with beef. Their methods contribute to long-term food security for many, and their harm-free, biology-driven approach is already inspiring other companies to venture into production in the region, sparking a needed industry, and a climate-friendly change.
Find Brett on Twitter and Instagram: @BrettVThompson
Find Mzansi on twitter: @MzansiMeatCo
โฆ and on LinkedIn
๐ฅ What we drank during the episode: Diemersdal Estate Red Pinotage (Brett), and Kahlua with Coffee (Matt)
Enjoy the show!
๐ป Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audacy and Substack๐
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Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.com
Companies/Startups mentioned during the show:
๐Discourse ZA
๐Shoprite
๐Spar
๐Fry Family Food
๐Upside
๐Good Food Institute
๐BioMilQ
๐USDA
๐FDA
๐BioCiti
๐Denovo Dairy
๐Yoco
People/places/things mentioned during the episode
๐ง Animal Advocacy
๐ง Cape Town, SA
๐ง Franschhoek
๐ง Stellenbosch
๐ง Melanie Joy
๐ง Nature Reserves
๐ง Johannesburg
๐ง Elon Musk
๐ง Motherโs Day
๐ง Madame Gandhi
๐ง Applied Ethics
๐ง David Benatar/Ethics of Humor
๐ง BioEthics
๐ง Durban
๐ง Freediving
๐ง Homelands
๐ง Nigeria
๐ง Kenya
๐ง Egypt vs North Africa vs Subsaharan Africa
๐ง Crocodiles in Africaโs Ecosystem
๐ง Zambia
๐ง Zimbabwe
๐ง Mozambique
๐ง Braai
๐ง Smiley
๐ง District 9
๐ง Nelson Mandela
๐ง Potjie
๐ง Bioreactor
๐ง Ryan Bethencourt
๐ง The Netherlands
๐ง Bio Innovation
๐ง Michelle Egger
๐ง Tammy Fry Kelly
๐ง Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
๐ง Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand
๐ง Getting Things Done by David Allen
-TIMESTAMPS-
[0:00] Intro
[1:03] Drink of the Show
[3:20] Reasons People Should Visit South Africa
[5:25] Shout Outs to Some Rad Mothers and Cool Names
[8:02] Brettโs Journey Into Animal Rights Advocacy
[11:08] Populations, Economies and Regional Laws in Africa
[20:29] African Food Culture and its Relationship with Meat
[22:45] Meat Cultureโs Relationship to Economic Status and Public Health Data
[24:53] Braai and Potjie
[30:02] The Social Considerations of Abstaining from Meat
[33:13] Founding Mzansi Meat Co
[35:55] Cows on Mars
[37:23] How Cultivated Meat is Made
[44:05] Unique Advantages and Challenges to Mzansiโs Location
[51:51] Breaking Ground for a Now-Emerging Market
[55:07] 3 Startups
[56:32] 3 Books
[57:41] Conclusion
Thanks for reading Climate Tech Cocktails ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.