Solar Foods

Investments & Finance

Solar Foods Advances Solein with New Funding and US Introduction of Protein Bites

März 4, 2025

Finnish food tech company Solar Foods has received an additional €10 million in funding from Business Finland to support the development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of its Solein protein. The grant is part of the company’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) funding, which was approved by the European Commission. The funding increase is part of a €33.6 million tranche first approved in December 2022. Business Finland has adjusted the amount following an updated cost estimate and has extended the project deadline by one year to December 31, 2026. This additional support comes through a supplementary Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funding call aimed at projects related to low-carbon hydrogen production, storage, and carbon capture utilization. Investment in production facilities Solar Foods’ overall IPCEI …

Approvals

Solar Foods Edges Closer to Regulatory Approval for Air-Based Protein in the EU

Februar 7, 2025

Finland’s Solar Foods is moving closer to regulatory approval in the EU after addressing inquiries from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regarding the safety of its air-based protein, Solein. The company submitted its novel food application back in 2021, providing a detailed dossier containing manufacturing data, product information, and supporting scientific evidence. Solein is currently undergoing a comprehensive application process to ensure it is safe for consumption, not misleadingly labeled, and nutritionally suitable for its intended use. Solar Foods reports it has made significant progress in the EFSA application process, recently responding to inquiries based on data obtained from Solein produced at the company’s Factory 01 (reportedly the world’s first commercial air-based protein facility). Solar Foods is now awaiting a final scientific opinion, and …

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Sweets & Snacks

KelpEat Introduces Crackers Featuring Solein Fermented Protein and Eu-Farmed Seaweed

Februar 6, 2025

Italian algae startup KelpEat has announced the launch of a new high-protein snack made with Solein®, a microbial protein developed by Finnish food tech company Solar Foods. The crackers, which also incorporate EU-farmed seaweed, will be presented at the Pitti Taste food fair in Florence from February 8–10. Solein is a protein produced through a fermentation process using air and electricity, making it independent of agriculture, climate conditions, and land use. When combined with dried kelp, the resulting crackers contain over 35% protein, a full amino acid profile, and key nutrients such as vitamins B12 and B9, calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants. According to Luca Cerruti, CEO of KelpEat, “Using Solein enables us to create a truly disruptive innovation—one that delivers complete nutrition, environmental responsibility, and …

Rami Jokela © Solar Foods

Rami Jokela Appointed CEO of Solar Foods as Company Targets Global Markets

Januar 30, 2025

Solar Foods has announced the appointment of Rami Jokela as its new chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2025. Jokela, who brings extensive experience in scaling international businesses, will lead the company as it moves from research and development into global commercialization. Jokela succeeds founding CEO Pasi Vainikka, who has led the company since its inception. Vainikka will continue in an advisory role through the end of 2025 to support the leadership transition and oversee ongoing strategic initiatives. Jokela’s immediate focus will be on expanding Solar Foods’ presence in the Health & Performance Nutrition segment, with an emphasis on the US market. He is also tasked with implementing a new conceptual sales model, increasing product price points, and scaling production capacity at one of the …

Investments & Finance

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

Oktober 25, 2024

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, …

The World’s Most Sustainable Protein ‘Solein’ Achieves GRAS Status, Heads for US Debut

September 3, 2024September 3, 2024

Solar Foods announces that it has achieved self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its air-based protein Solein in the USA. This milestone will allow the company to introduce the novel ingredient, offering a new alternative to animal and plant proteins. Claimed as the most sustainable protein in the world, the company expects its debut by the end of 2024. The biotech explains that it conducted large-scale scientific research, and the results about food safety have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A panel of qualified experts has stated the product’s safety and intended use, explicitly detailing its application across various food categories and appropriate Solein concentrations. Juan Benitez-Garcia, Solar Foods’ CCO, comments, “Obtaining self-affirmed GRAS status is the first step towards entering the …

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Precision Fermentation

Solar Foods plans to list on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland.

Solar Foods to List on Nasdaq, Bolstering Growth Plans for ‘Solein’ Air-Based Protein

August 21, 2024August 21, 2024

Air-based protein developer Solar Foods announces plans to list on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland. The listing is expected to occur in September as a technical listing without any share issue or sale. Based in Helsinki, the biotech has raised €69.6 million from various investors, including Fazer, Lifeline Ventures, Agronomics, CPT Capital, Voima Ventures, and various family office investment companies. According to the company, its more than 2,000 shareholders enable it to process the technical listing. In addition to private investments, Solar Foods has strong public financial support, securing €34 million from a potential €110 million grant. And this year, the company was granted the Nasdaq Green Equity Designation, making it the first Finnish private company to receive this recognition. Nasdaq Green Equity recognizes …

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NASDAQ

Products & Launches

Ajinomoto to Launch Two Products Made With Solar Foods’ Air-Based Protein in Singapore

August 29, 2024August 12, 2024

Solar Foods has announced the launch of two new products made with its air-based protein, Solein, through a partnership with Japanese food manufacturer Ajinomoto Group. The products, Traditional Flowering Mooncakes and Ice Cream Sandwiches, will launch in Singapore under Ajinomoto’s new conscious brand, Atlr.72™. Solein replaces dairy in the products, providing protein, a rich consistency, and a reduced environmental impact. The other ingredients have also reportedly been chosen for their focus on health and sustainability. Solar Foods describes the limited edition launch as a “significant leap forward”, marking the availability of Solein for consumers and larger-scale commercial use. The products will make their debut ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Singaporeans gift each other traditional mooncakes. The pilot is taking place in Singapore as the …

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Solar Foods launches first -ever Gelato made with its microbial protein

Historic Moment in Food Production: Solar Foods Opens World’s First Commercial-Scale Air-Based Protein Facility

Juli 8, 2024April 15, 2024

Finnish air-based protein Solar Foods announces the official launch of its highly anticipated Factory 01 in Vantaa, Finland. Claimed as the world’s first factory growing food out of thin air, the new plant will commercially produce 160 tons annually of the company’s flagship protein, Solein, paving the way for the next generation of sustainable products. Produced leveraging a microorganism, CO2, and electricity and described as a nutritious and versatile protein, Solein has been only released in small batches from the company’s pilot laboratory in Espoo, near Helsinki. Solar Foods’ CEO and co-founder, Pasi Vainikka, shares: “We will be able to deliver quantities that allow food producers to create large batches of Solein-powered products for the first time. “While we have been able to offer consumers a …

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Precision Fermentation

Production capacity

The Finnish food experience company Fazer announces the launch of the world's first chocolate bar powered by Solein in Singapore.

Image courtesy of Fazer

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Solar Foods and Fazer Unveil World’s First Air-Based Protein Chocolate Bar in Singapore

Juli 8, 2024Januar 19, 2024

Finnish food producer Fazer announces the launch in Singapore of the world’s first chocolate bar powered by Solein. Solein, created by the Finish biotech Solar Foods, is a novel protein crafted through fermentation technology, utilizing microbes, carbon dioxide, and electricity without the need for agricultural resources, hence dubbed “air-based protein.” With this introduction, Fazer becomes the first fast-moving consumer goods company ever to offer a product made with Solein, marking as well the air-based protein’s retail debut in a consumer product. Solein received regulatory approval in Singapore in 2022, making it possible to introduce it to the public in various dishes, including a dairy-free chocolate gelato developed in collaboration with Fico, Solar Food’s restaurant partner. Taste the future Called “Taste the Future”, the vegan-friendly chocolate …

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Image courtesy of Fazer

Products & Launches

Solar Foods and Fazer Unveil World’s First Air-Based Protein Chocolate Bar in Singapore

Juli 8, 2024Januar 19, 2024

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Investments & Acquisitions

Air-Based Protein Producer Solar Foods Raises €8M in Oversubscribed Funding Round

Juli 8, 2024November 21, 2023

Finland’s Solar Foods, a company developing “food out of thin air”, has raised €8 million in an oversubscribed funding round. The round was conducted via Finnish investment organiser Springvest Oyj, and is the largest to ever take place on the platform. Registration was initially planned to be open until November 10, but the round reached capacity almost two weeks early following “overwhelming demand” from investors. Solar Foods will use the funding to ramp up production at its first commercial-scale facility, Factory 01, and commercialise Solein (the company’s protein) in food products. Operations at the facility are expected to begin in the first half of next year. Solar Foods produces protein by feeding microorganisms with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen from the air; the hydrogen and …

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European Innovation Council Funds Solar Foods-Led Consortium Creating Milk Protein from CO2 and Electricity

September 8, 2023September 5, 2023

From over 400 contesting teams, a research consortium led by Finnish company Solar Foods to produce sustainable milk protein from CO2 and electricity has been selected by the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder Challenge 2022. The challenge, which seeks cutting-edge research projects that could achieve breakthroughs in their respective fields, will invest €5.5 million in the consortium’s four-year HYDROCOW project. Solar Foods will work with the University of Groningen, RWTH Aachen University, and FGen AG, a subsidiary of Ginkgo Bioworks, to develop a novel biotechnology platform independent from agriculture and photosynthesis, to create sustainable food, materials, medicines, and chemical production. A groundbreaking technology HYDROCOW aims to develop a carbon-neutral system by genetically modifying hydrogen-oxidizing microbes to produce beta-lactoglobulin using CO2 and electricity instead of traditional fermentation solutions that use agricultural feedstocks …

Image courtesy ADM

Protein

Air-Based Proteins Market to Exceed $100M: Highlighting 5 Prominent Players

Juli 8, 2024Juli 24, 2023

The global air-based foods market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.7% to reach a value of US$ 100 million by the end of 2032, as consumers and producers look increasingly towards sustainable proteins. According to FACT. MR, initially, air-based foods will gain popularity in North America and Europe, markets with growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly food products as a solution to food production challenges. This technology, first used to feed humans in space, offers a promising solution to the extensive land use in animal agriculture that is driving species to extinction, eroding soils, and polluting water and airways. We take a look at five companies using cutting-edge technology to make proteins using microbes and air, known as air-based proteins, to move food …

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Products & Launches

Solar Foods Launches the First Ever Gelato Replacing Dairy with Protein “Out of Thin Air”

Juni 16, 2023

Since its approval for sale in Singapore last year, news about Solein, the protein made out of thin air, doesn’t stop. Today, the Finnish company Solar Foods and its partner restaurant Fico are launching the world’s first Solein Chocolate Gelato in Singapore. The debut marks the first time a food made with an animal-free protein grown from microbes using hydrogen and carbon dioxide (out of thin air) is sold to the general public. “This offers a glimpse of a future where tastes and textures are familiar, but where food arrives on our plates in an entirely new way,” said Solar Foods. One-of-a-kind ice cream The restaurant’s chef team developed the recipe for the vegan ice cream, replacing dairy with Solein powder — removing animal agriculture from the equation. The …

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Solar Foods' protein Solein used in different dishes

Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Unite to Create Next-Gen Air-Based Protein Foods

Juli 8, 2024Juni 2, 2023

Last week, Finland’s Solar Foods debuted its microbial protein Solein, made out of thin air, at a tasting event in Singapore. After this historic moment in food history, Solar Foods has announced a strategic alliance with Japanese food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto to develop products using the revolutionary Solein and introduce them to global markets. The partnership—Solar Foods’ first collaboration with a major global food brand—will make Solein a reality. In the coming years, a new range of sustainable products will launch for the first time in Singapore. In Q4 2024, the companies will conduct a market feasibility study for product development in Singapore. Solar Foods is now ready to commercialize Solein. It received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) last October, and the company will …

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Microbial Protein

Solar Foods and Ajinomoto Unite to Create Next-Gen Air-Based Protein Foods

Juli 8, 2024Juni 2, 2023

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Microbial Protein

Solar Foods’ Air-Based Protein to Be Tasted by Public Tomorrow in “Watershed Moment” for Food History

Juli 8, 2024Mai 24, 2023

Finland’s Solar Foods announces the debut of its microbial protein Solein in the first-ever tasting event of an air-based protein, taking place in Singapore tomorrow, the 25th of May. Solein, described as the world’s most sustainable protein, is developed with microbes, carbon dioxide, and electricity. Its bioprocess is free from the “burdens of agriculture” and weather events, allowing its production anywhere; in deserts, Arctic regions, and even space. Michelin-starred chefs will explore this novel protein’s culinary possibilities in different dishes served at a fine restaurant, announces Solar Foods. Why Singapore? Singapore’s reliance on importing over 90% of its food has led the government to establish food security as a high priority. Over SG$114 million has been invested in alternative proteins as part of the government’s 30 …

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Solar Foods’ Air-Based Protein to Be Tasted by Public Tomorrow in “Watershed Moment” for Food History

Juli 8, 2024Mai 24, 2023

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