CHICAGO – Clever Carnivore, a cultivated meat biotech startup, announced that it hired Russell Thomas as the vice president of product development.

Before joining the startup, Thomas worked for 33 years at Tyson Foods Inc. where he served as manager and director of research and development. In 2022, he also worked at the Mission Barns in San Francisco for a few months.

The company said it is excited to move into the prototype development stage. Clever Carnivore added that Thomas would spearhead the creation of product lines starting with sausages.

“I’m excited about joining Clever Carnivore,” said Thomas. “I entered the food industry more than three decades ago because I believe there’s no greater way to serve humanity than by working to provide accessible, sustainable food to people. The technology being developed by Clever Carnivore aligns with that mission.”

Clever Carnivore expects to debut its first potential consumer product, the Clever Bratwurst, in 2023.

“Russell’s experience as director of research and development at Tyson is a huge asset to Clever Carnivore as we aim to unveil our prototype product later this year,” said Virginia Rangos, chief executive officer of Clever Carnivore.