Arda Biomaterials

Arda Biomaterials

Brett Cotten and Dr. TJ Mitchell © Arda Biomaterials
Leather Alternatives

Arda Biomaterials Converts Brewery Byproducts into Leather Alternatives with $5.25M Funding Round

Arda Biomaterials, a company specializing in plant-based materials derived from waste proteins, has raised $5.25 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Oyster Bay Venture Capital, with participation from Clean Growth Fund, Kadmos Capital, and Green Angel Ventures. The financing will support the company’s ongoing research and development of its first material innovation, New GrainTM, a leather-like material made from barley proteins sourced from spent grains from breweries and distilleries. The company published the update to its Substack, reporting that the funds will also help it scale its production capabilities and begin the commercialization of New GrainTM, targeting industries such as fashion, automotive, and more. Arda’s strategy is to leverage the large-scale potential of brewery and distillery by-products, using these …

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Cardholders made with the biomaterial new grain.

Image courtesy of Arda Biomaterials
Materials

Arda Biomaterials & Beavertown Brewery Introduce “First-of-its-Kind” Spent Barley Grain Cardholders

UK upcycled materials startup Arda Biomaterials continues to work on introducing its animal- and plastic-free material New Grain — developed from spent grain from breweries — to the public. Following a partnership with the sustainable brand BEEN London, Arda announces today a collection of sustainable fashion accessories crafted with New Grain, developed using spent brewery barley grain from London’s iconic craft beer producer Beavertown Brewery. TJ Mitchell, CTO of Arda Biomaterials, shares: “This partnership is a perfect example of how we can be fast-movers in supporting local supply chains and contributing to a circular economy, all while offering consumers unique products directly linked to their favourite breweries and distilleries, such as Beavertown.” Cardholders from your favorite beer The collection’s first product is a limited edition …

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Image courtesy of Arda Biomaterials
Leather Alternatives

Animal-Free Snakeskin Handbag Marks Debut from Upcycled Arda Biomaterials & BEEN London in a Benchmark for Fashion

UK upcycled materials startup Arda Biomaterials and sustainable brand BEEN London announce the launch of their first product: a snakeskin-type handbag crafted with an animal- and plastic-free leather-like material called New Grain. Arda’s New Grain, described as an extraordinary next-generation material, is developed from spent grain from breweries, sourced locally from London’s Bermondsey Beer Mile — once a leather tanning district. This launch marks New Grain’s first use of an external product, paving the way for its commercial scalability. The handbag, a version of BEEN’s bestselling MILLAIS bag, will be part of a future collection that includes wallets, laptop cases, and more bag styles. Genia Mineeva, the founder of BEEN London, emphasised the partnership’s role in pioneering sustainable fashion. She added, “As a brand making premium …

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Arda Biomaterials

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Investments & Acquisitions

Arda Biomaterials Raises £1.1M to Turn Beer Waste Into Plastic-Free Alt Leather

The UK’s Arda Biomaterials, a producer of plastic-free upcycled leather alternatives, has raised £1.1 million in a funding round led by Clean Growth Fund. Other participants included Plug and Play, Serpentine Ventures, Satgana, and various angel investors. Arda uses waste barley from the beer brewing industry to produce a material called New Grain, which has the potential to be used in the fashion, home goods, and automotive industries. The company is based in The Leather Market building near London Bridge, and is working with breweries in South London’s ‘Bermondsey Beer Mile’ — once a leather tanning district. Arda was founded last year by Edward TJ Mitchell, who holds a PhD in chemistry, and Brett Cotten, who has extensive experience in the alt protein sector. In …

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