Ivy Farm

Background

Cranleigh Stem first began supporting Ivy Farm Technologies during a key phase of the company's growth as the business continued to establish itself as one of the UK's leading cultivated meat and food technology start-ups. Founded in 2019 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, Ivy Farm Technologies was created with a mission to revolutionise sustainable food production through the development of cultivated meat.

Operating within an emerging and highly specialised sector, the company experienced rapid growth driven by continued investment, increased media attention and the growing global focus on sustainability and food innovation. As the business scaled, Ivy Farm expanded its operations significantly, including the opening of Europe’s largest cultivated meat pilot facility in Oxford in 2022.

The growth of the organisation created increasing demand for highly specialist scientific, engineering and commercial talent. With ambitious plans for scale-up, product development and international expansion, the business required a recruitment partner capable of supporting rapid hiring activity across multiple technical disciplines, whilst also understanding the unique challenges of the cultivated meat and biotechnology sectors.

Challenge

The challenge Ivy Farm Technologies faced was securing specialist talent within an extremely niche and competitive market. The business needed to attract high-calibre candidates across scientific research, bioprocess engineering, scale-up manufacturing and commercial operations, whilst competing against both established biotechnology organisations and rapidly growing food-tech start-ups.

Alongside sourcing specialist talent, the company also required a recruitment process that could support fast-paced growth without compromising candidate quality or cultural fit. Given the innovative nature of the business and the importance of collaboration across scientific and operational teams, hiring managers needed access to a streamlined recruitment process that allowed them to identify, interview and secure the best candidates efficiently.

Solution

Cranleigh STEM worked closely with the leadership and hiring teams at Ivy Farm Technologies to deliver a tailored recruitment solution designed specifically around the needs of a high-growth food technology business.

By developing a detailed understanding of the company's technology, long-term objectives and hiring priorities, Cranleigh STEM was able to build targeted recruitment campaigns focused on attracting specialist candidates from biotechnology, cellular agriculture, food science and advanced engineering markets.

Working as an extension of the internal team, Cranleigh STEM supported the full recruitment lifecycle across multiple departments, including candidate sourcing, market mapping, screening, interview coordination and offer management. Through regular communication with hiring managers and a consultative approach to recruitment strategy, the business was able to maintain hiring momentum whilst ensuring a consistently positive candidate experience.

Cranleigh STEM also provided ongoing market insight and salary benchmarking support, helping Ivy Farm Technologies remain competitive within an increasingly active and evolving talent market.

Result

By acting as a trusted recruitment partner, Cranleigh STEM helped Ivy Farm Technologies successfully scale its team during a critical stage of growth and commercial development.

The partnership enabled the company to secure specialist talent across scientific, engineering and operational functions, supporting the continued development of its cultivated meat technology and large-scale production capabilities.

Through a collaborative and proactive recruitment approach, Cranleigh STEM helped Ivy Farm Technologies strengthen its position as one of the UK's most innovative food technology businesses whilst continuing to attract high-quality talent in a highly competitive market.

Hires made