Successful Bioreactor Transition Validates Commercial Feasibility Using Pow.Bio’s Advanced Fermentation Platform

 

Toronto, Ontario – May 30, 2025 – TheNewswire - CULT Food Science Corp. (“CULT” or the “Company”) (CSE: CULT) (OTC: CULTF) (FRA: LN00), a disruptive food technology investment platform focused on making investments to pioneer the commercialization of lab grown meat and cellular agriculture to reshape the global food industry, congratulates California Cultured on a significant milestone in scaling sustainable chocolate and coffee production.

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• California Cultured successfully transitioned from lab-scale shake flask experiments to precision-controlled bioreactor fermentation.
   

• The scale-up was executed at Pow.Bio’s FDA-registered, AI-enabled continuous fermentation facility in Alameda, California.
   

• This milestone validates the economic and technical feasibility of commercial-scale, cell-cultured cocoa production.
   

• The project focused on media optimization, oxygen transfer rates, and pH control to enhance cell growth and metabolite production.
   

• California Cultured is now positioned to advance toward process validation, downstream processing, and sensory trials.
   

California Cultured recently announced it has successfully completed the transition from benchtop experimentation to large-scale, food-grade biomanufacturing of cell-cultured cocoa, in collaboration with Pow.Bio, a leader in intelligent fermentation technology. The achievement represents a key inflection point for the company and for the broader category of sustainable chocolate alternatives.

 

Working out of Pow.Bio’s newly commissioned 25,000 sq. ft. facility—featuring clean room capabilities, dual-chamber continuous fermentation systems, and real-time AI-based process control—California Cultured optimized its cocoa fermentation process for commercial volumes. Core development goals included boosting metabolic efficiency, increasing flavonoid and lipid synthesis, and lowering cost per kilogram to enable scalable, cost-effective production.

 

This collaboration not only validates California Cultured’s ability to produce consistent, clean, cell-cultured cocoa at scale, but also lays the foundation for future innovations, including continuous fermentation and commercial launch of cocoa and coffee-based ingredients and products.

 

Management Commentary

 

Mitchell Scott, CEO of CULT Food Science, stated, "We are incredibly proud of California Cultured’s progress. This scale-up marks a major achievement in the food tech sector and exemplifies the type of impact-driven innovation CULT seeks to back. By unlocking scalable, ethical alternatives to traditionally resource-intensive commodities like cocoa, California Cultured is helping shape a more sustainable global food system. We look forward to supporting their continued success as they move closer to commercial launch."

 

Debt Settlement

 

The Company also announces it has entered into a debt settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) to settle outstanding debts owed to an arms-length creditor (the “Creditor”) totaling $12,238.10 (the “Debt Settlement”). Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the Company has agreed to issue an aggregate of 509,920 Shares at a deemed price of $0.024 per Share. The Shares issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement are subject to a four month and one day hold period, pursuant to National Instrument 45-105 – Prospectus Exemptions.

 

The board of directors of the Company determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to complete the Debt Settlement in order to preserve the Company's cash for working capital.

 

About CULT Food Science

 

CULT Food Science is a disruptive food technology investment platform focused on making investments to pioneer the commercialization of lab grown meat and cellular agriculture to reshape the global food industry. The Company’s investments may include the acquisition of equity, debt or other securities of publicly traded or private companies or other entities, financing in exchange for pre-determined royalties or distributions and the acquisition of all or part of one or more businesses, portfolios or other assets, in each case that the Company believes will enhance value for the Shareholders of the Company in the long term.

 

About California Cultured

 

California Cultured is pioneering the production of cocoa and coffee using plant cell culture, offering a sustainable, ethical alternative to traditional supply chains. Their technology enables the creation of high-quality, deforestation-free chocolate and coffee for a resilient future. Learn more at www.cacultured.com.

 

Additional information can be found by viewing the Company's website at cultfoodscience.com or its regulatory filings on sedar.com.

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

 

CULT FOOD SCIENCE CORP.

 

"Mitchell Scott"

Mitchell Scott, Chief Executive Officer

 

For further information about CULT Food Science Corp.:

Tel: + 1 (888) 733 - 8581

Email: IR@CULTFoodScience.com

Web: CULTFoodScience.com

Twitter: @CULTFoodScience

 

Forward-Looking Information:

 

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the transition of California Cultured from lab-scale experimentation to commercial-scale biomanufacturing, the technical and economic feasibility of commercial cell-cultured cocoa production, the anticipated future steps including process validation, downstream processing, and sensory trials, the continued collaboration between California Cultured and Pow.Bio; the development and commercialization of cocoa and coffee-based products, the potential for cost-effective and scalable production, the impact of these developments on the broader sustainable food system, the completion of the Debt Settlement, and Share issuance. These forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These risks include but are not limited to: the risk that California Cultured’s commercial fermentation process does not perform as expected; regulatory and operational hurdles to scaling production; delays or challenges in product development and market entry; and risks related to market acceptance and consumer adoption of cell-cultured products. There is no assurance that the forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, assumptions, expectations and opinions of management as of the date the statements are made. Such assumptions include but are not limited to: the ongoing viability of California Cultured’s fermentation process at scale; the successful performance of Pow.Bio’s continuous fermentation systems; the timely completion of the debt settlement transaction; and the ability of CULT Food Science and its portfolio companies to achieve commercial milestones and market acceptance. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. For further information on risk, investors are advised to see the Company's MD&A and other disclosure filings with the regulators which are found at www.sedarplus.ca.

 

SOURCE: CULT Food Science Corp.