Clever Carnivore Hires Tyson Veteran for Leadership Position

Clever Carnivore, a Chicago-based biotech startup producing cultivated pork, beef and chicken has announced that Russell Thomas, MSc, has joined the company as vice president of product development.

Thomas has spent 30 years as a food scientist with expertise in food safety, product development, and operations management. He is tasked with accelerating the development of Clever Carnivore’s debut consumer product, the Clever Bratwurst.

“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 Clever Carnivore CEO Virginia Rangos, Ph.D.

Most recently, Thomas served as vice president of product development with a Silicon Valley cultivated fat company founded in late 2010. Prior during Thomas’ more than 33 years at Tyson Foods, he served as manager, and then director of research and development.

The addition of an experienced executive with demonstrated success bringing innovative products to the global market propels Clever Carnivore into the exciting prototype development stage. Leveraging his decades of accomplishments in the food sciences, Thomas will spearhead the creation of a delicious, accessible product line — 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.”

The biotech company has been focused on scaling meat production and bringing costs down — producing high-quality pork at consumer-ready prices. With Thomas on the team, the company is ready to start turning pork into bratwurst. 

Thomas has a bachelor’s in animal science and business and a master’s in poultry science and product technology from the University of Arkansas.

Clever Carnivore is funded by an inaugural investor. The company's website says it will be open to additional investment partnerships as it grows.