15 Sep Q&A with Tasneem Karodia, Co-founder of Mzansi Meat Co.

Meet Tasneem Karodia, the co-founder/COO of Mzansi Meat Co. who has a love for flying aeroplanes, rock climbing and changing the world by evolving our food systems in Africa. Tasneem has played an instrumental role in creating structure throughout the organisation and getting the company to where it is today. Tasneem joined Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm and has garnered extensive experience in strategy and operations across industries. Sustainability is what drives her, especially within food systems, so founding a cultivated meat company was a natural next step!

Who are you guys as a company and on the whole, and why are you sorely needed in this world?!

We’re a biotechnology company with the soul of a braai nation. We understand that meat is an intrinsic part of the culture on this great continent, and that’s why we want to provide the real thing and not just another alternative. The future of food is making real meat in the best way possible. We also understand that in order to keep up with demand and prioritise taste, we need innovative solutions, which is why we’re here to help evolve food systems. 

What’s the latest company NEWS you’d like to share? 

We were recently featured on Carte Blanche (South Africa’s version of 60 Minutes) which gave us a nationwide platform to tell our story and introduce ourselves to South Africans. Overnight we received tons of messages from hungry fans asking when they’ll get to try our now famous burgers. 

Where did the business concept originate and how has the journey been so far? 

The idea started as a conversation between two people passionate about changing the world by making better food. Africa’s population will increase by 1 billion over the next 30 years, and we want to help feed the growing population by improving conventional agriculture. The journey hasn’t been easy but we’ve achieved more in two years than some of our international peers have with more time, and with more funding. 

Anything interesting happening in the future for Mzansi Meat Co?

We’re excited to be scaling up to get our meat onto more plates around the country. To get there, we’ve levelled up our lab facility with a family of new bioreactors, floor space and the equipment needed to achieve scale. Watch this space for our soft launch of our cultivated beef burgers – follow us on social media for launch dates dropping soon!

Contact: [email protected]