Lab-grown pork in Brno: Roman Laus and the startup Meveri

The Brno startup Meveri grows meat in a test tube, and its founder Roman Laus expects Czechia to soon allow tastings of such a product. According to him, by the end of the year the country will become the second in Europe after the Netherlands to approve sampling lab-grown meat under controlled conditions.

There is nothing in the Meveri lab that resembles a barn: the pork here came into being in a sterile environment. There is no smell of disinfectant either. Everything is scrubbed clean, yet it smells like a restaurant. On one of the stainless steel tables, guests are greeted by a burger, nuggets and ham-and-salami sandwiches. You can only taste them with your eyes, though.

The fragrant dishes are made not from ordinary meat but from pork grown in a test tube. Its sale, and even public tasting, are still banned in Czechia. The word “still” is key here: Laus is sure the situation will change this year.

An unexpected twist in Meveri's story involves cosmetics. While growing meat, the startup's team accidentally stumbled upon a “cosmetic treasure” that has also caught the interest of the beauty world.