Cultivated meat, seafood company UPSIDE Foods to open its 1st commercial plant in Glenview

GLENVIEW, Ill. (WLS) -- UPSIDE Foods will locate its first commercial plant for cultivated meat and seafood in Glenview, Governor JB Pritzker announced Thursday.

Governor Pritzker's office said the company would be investing $141 million and will create a minimum of 75 jobs.

"On behalf of the State of Illinois, we are excited to welcome UPSIDE Foods to the Land of Lincoln and are committed to supporting their growth in the cultivated meat industry," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Here in Illinois, we are a hub for tech and innovation, thanks to our talented workforce and prime location in the heart of the Midwest. This new facility is a significant investment in our communities - creating new good-paying jobs while advancing our ambitious clean energy goals to create a more sustainable future. We also congratulate UPSIDE Foods on their recent milestone of being the inaugural company to commercially sell cultivated meat in the United States. Their pioneering leadership makes them a perfect fit for the region."

"We're excited that the next chapter of our journey towards building a more sustainable, humane, and abundant future will be in Illinois," said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of UPSIDE Foods. "Establishing our plant in this region allows us to tap into a remarkable talent pool, a thriving innovation ecosystem, and a notable history of meat production. We are grateful for the collaboration and partnership that we have built at the state, county, and local levels in our site selection process."

UPSADIE Foods will be receiving one of the first Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) for Startups tax credits, Pritzker's office said.

The 187,000-square-foot facility in Glenview will begin its production with cultivated chicken products, with plans to expand to other species in the future.

The company said the new facility will produce millions of pounds of cultivated meat, with potential of producing more than 30 million pounds.