REHOVOT, Israel — Believer Meats, a leading pioneer of the cultivated meat industry, announced today the appointment of Gustavo Burger as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effectively immediately. Gustavo previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Believer and takes the helm as the company prepares for its next phase of significant growth. Gustavo succeeds Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, who has moved on from the company to pursue other career opportunities.
Believer is at the forefront of the rapidly growing cultivated meat industry, focused on developing the world’s most efficient cell-cultivation technology to make safe, healthy, and delicious meat without harming animals or our planet. Believer is currently building the largest cultivated meat production facility in the world, which will have the capacity to produce at least 10,000 metric tons of cultivated meat annually once fully operational.
As a bonafide CPG industry veteran, Gustavo brings extensive experience from leadership roles at major multinationals, including at BRF, Anheuser-Busch InBev and, most recently, at The Kraft Heinz Company, where he served as Chief Supply Officer for international operations across LATAM, APAC and Europe. He has held a variety of senior positions throughout his career, during which he has built a proven track record of driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence.
In his previous role as COO, Gustavo oversaw all aspects of the Believer’s operations, including production, supply chain, and logistics. After establishing and building out an operations team with comprehensive CPG experience, Gustavo played a pivotal role in pioneering the groundbreaking of the world’s first commercial scale cultivated meat facility, positioning Believer ahead of its competition in scaling up production technology and capacity. In his new role as CEO, Gustavo will continue to drive Believer’s mission to make it possible for all future generations to eat meat.
“I am honored and excited to lead Believer as its CEO as we effectively and strategically accelerate our business,” said Gustavo. “We are at the forefront of a new era in food with the dawn of cellular agriculture, and I look forward to working together with our world-class global team to bring our cultivated meat products to consumers around the world.”
“We are thrilled to have Gustavo step into the role of CEO,” said Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer at Believer. “He has been an instrumental part of the company’s growth and success to date, and we are confident that he will successfully lead us as we transition from a food tech start-up to a leading pioneer of a new food category.”
Kash Muthuraman will succeed Gustavo as the new Chief Operating Officer for Believer, after previously serving as the company’s VP of Operations. Kash brings a breadth of experience in strategy, operations, and management, having held senior leadership positions at The Kraft Heinz Company, Deloitte, and Caterpillar, Inc. Prior to joining Believer Meats, Kash served as Head of Sales & Operations Planning for the U.S. at The Kraft Heinz Company.
These executive leadership appointments following a series of significant milestone announcements made by Believer as the company prepares to bring its products to consumers, including its recent rebrand from Future Meat Technologies to Believer Meats, its record-breaking Series B round of financing, and its breakthrough in cultivating lamb, among others. The company will scale production of its cultivated meat products at its new commercial-scale production facility, which is expected to be fully operational in 2024.
For more information, visit believermeats.com and follow @believermeats on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Believer Meats
Believer Meats (formerly Future Meat Technologies) is a cultivated meat company pioneering the first scalable lab-grown meat production system that can feed the world. Founded in 2018 by Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Believer’s mission is to ensure that future generations can enjoy the meat we know and love. Believer is building a better future for people, animals and the planet with meat that is delicious, sustainable, nutritious, and broadly accessible. For more information, visit us at believermeats.com.
