27 Drydock, Boston

BOSTON—Fledgling ingredient innovation company Motif FoodWorks reports it has signed a lease for nearly 11,000 square feet for its new corporate headquarters at the Innovation and Design Building at 27 Drydock in the Seaport District here.

The company will occupy 10,600 square feet at Related Beal's eight-story 286,000-square-foot office building. Motif FoodWorks is expected to take occupancy in June 2020. The firm's new space will feature a dedicated space for culinary research as well as FoodWorks Labs—research, innovation and application centers focused on what the company states is unraveling the secrets of food and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the industry.

Related Beal acquired 27 Drydock in December 2016.

Motif's new headquarters will situate the company in the same center as one of its investors and strategic partners, Ginkgo Bioworks, which is located on the eighth floor of 27 Drydock. Motif's access to Ginkgo's microbial fermentation platform puts the company in a leading position to discover, develop, and commercialize animal-free proteins, the company states.

"We have assembled a powerful team made up of food industry veterans, scientists with diverse backgrounds, and disruptive entrepreneurs. With this team and our technology, we are poised to drastically improve the taste and nutrition of plant-based food and push the boundaries of what's possible in the industry," says Jon McIntyre, CEO of Motif. "We are expanding and cementing our presence in a space surrounded by food, science and technology innovators to ensure we can deliver on that mission."

Back in August, Motif Ingredients received $27.5 million in funding led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, with participation from CPT Capital. The company also revealed a new brand identity and name, Motif FoodWorks, and announced a number of additions to its leadership team.