TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israeli startup Redefine Meat expanded operations into Europe on Tuesday, where it hopes to reach thousands of restaurants by the end of next year and served its whole cuts of meat for the first time herbal alternative.

The 3D printed beef substitute has been deployed in Israel, as well as Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Blend of soy and pea protein, chickpeas, beetroot, nutritional yeasts and coconut fat, it mimics flank steak.

The company, which has so far worked with around 150 restaurants in Israel, said the package of cuts will broaden the appeal of alternative meat products that have mostly been limited to ground beef dishes, including burgers and sausages. .

“He’s the money maker. That’s the reason we have meat, ”said CEO Eshchar Ben-Shirit.

Their larger cuts of alternative meat are more complicated to produce and continue to evolve.

“We are increasing the capacity. Each batch we make is five times the size of the last. So we’re changing… the machines, the flow and we’re also changing the attributes of the product, ”he said.

The company plans to build five factories in Israel, Europe, the United States and Asia over the next few years.

As technology advances and improves the taste and variety of alternative meats, the sector’s sales could reach $ 140 billion by 2029, or about 10% of the global meat market, estimates Barclays.

Competition is already strong, with players like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods in California and Novameat in Spain.

Redefine Meat previously announced that it had raised $ 35 million in funds and said it had also raised a larger amount, but would not disclose how much.

“We have raised by far the largest amount that an Israeli alternative meat company has ever raised,” said Ben-Shirit.

As a prospect, earlier this year Israeli Aleph Farms, which is developing a method to grow meat in the lab from cow cells, raised $ 105 million.