Enifer

Finnish biotech company Enifer announces that it has applied for regulatory approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to sell its flagship ingredient, PEKILO, in the EU market.

© Iiro Muttilainen
Company News

Enifer Breaks New Ground as First Nordic Firm to Seek Novel Food Approval for Mycoprotein

Finnish biotech company Enifer announces that it has applied for regulatory approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to sell its flagship ingredient, PEKILO, in the EU. The company claims to be the first Nordic company to apply for a mycoprotein under novel foods. This regulatory step marks a significant milestone in the company’s commercialization efforts, which recently secured funding to build a €33 million production facility, scheduled for production by the end of 2025. In addition to the EU approval, which could take several years, Enifer plans to pursue GRAS status in the US and novel food approval in Singapore. “We’re incredibly proud to continue the work that visionary scientists began in the 1980s and to take this vital step towards bringing PEKILO® to …

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Onego Bio_Bioalbumen whisk

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Investments & Finance

Finnish Alternative Protein Firms Secure €10M for Collaborative R&D Projects From Business Finland

Business Finland has granted two Finnish projects — FoodID and FinBioFAB — 10 million euros in R&D funding to create alternative proteins and materials through research collaboration. The Finnish projects were accepted into the Global Centers program led by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), operated jointly by six countries aiming for breakthrough solutions to global challenges. This year’s funding call focused on the bioeconomy, with the main themes being biofoundries and biodiversity. Alternative proteins and cacao The FoodID project seeks to innovate sustainable processes by leveraging digital tools to produce alternative proteins and lipids using plants and fermentation. The aim is to create sustainable and healthy raw materials to improve global food systems. Finland’s VTT, the University of Helsinki, and companies Fazer, Valio, MeEat, Enifer, …

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Investments & Finance

Investment Climate Podcast: Simo Ellilä of Enifer – How to Get Funded in 2024

In this podcast series, co-produced by vegconomist, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2024 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. Episode 12: Enifer: Simo Ellilä of Enifer In this episode, Alex talks to Simo Ellilä, CEO and co-founder of Enifer, a biotech startup in Finland that produces sustainable microprotein through the fermentation of industrial byproducts. Simon discusses the strategic approach Enifer took to raise their current rounds and a few key strategies that helped them secure funds …

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Enifer mycoprotein facility

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Enifer Raises €36M for Mycoprotein Facility Producing the “Missing Ingredient for a Sustainable Food Chain”

Finland’s Enifer has secured enough funding to begin the construction of a mycoprotein facility that will upcycle food industry sidestreams into fungi-based protein ingredients. The facility will cultivate up to 3,000 tons of Enifer’s proprietary mycoprotein, PEKILO®, every year; this is said to be enough to meet the annual protein needs of around 40,000 people. According to the company, the plant will be the first worldwide to produce this type of mycoprotein from sidestreams. The construction of the facility is expected to cost €33 million and be completed by the end of 2025, with operations ramping up in 2026. The new funding consists of a €15 million Series B round led by the private equity fund Taaleri Bioindustry Fund I, with follow-on investments from existing …

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Enifer Secures €12 million grant to build a first-of-its-kind mycoprotein ingredient factory

Image courtesy of Enifer
Investments & Finance

Enifer Receives €12M EU Grant for “First-of-its-Kind” Mycoprotein Facility in Finland

Finnish biotech startup Enifer announces that it has received a grant worth over €12 million from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme, to construct its first commercial-scale mycoprotein facility in the Uusimaa region (the exact location has not been revealed). Enifer has developed a mycoprotein ingredient called PEKILO using fungal fermentation, industrial byproducts, and waste streams. The plant’s total construction cost is €30 million and is set to be completed by the end of 2025, with production starting in 2026. Once operational, the biotech claims that the mycoprotein factory, the first-of-its-kind, will be ready to produce three million kilograms of PEKILO per year — equivalent to the protein yield of 30,000 cows while emitting at least 20 times fewer carbon emissions. “This plant will be a critical …

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