Finland

Happy Plant Protein team

© Timo Kauppila/Happy Plant Protein
Investments & Acquisitions

Happy Plant Protein Raises €1.8M for Technology Empowering Local Food Manufacturers to Produce Plant Protein

Happy Plant Protein, a spinout from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has raised €1.8 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Nordic Foodtech VC. The round also saw participation from Butterfly Ventures and Business Finland via a grant. The funding will be used to further develop and license Happy Plant Protein’s patented technology, which allows for the production of high-quality plant proteins with existing extrusion machinery. The technology could empower local food manufacturers and brands to produce their own plant proteins, removing the need for imports. This would make plant proteins available with only minor investments and no regulatory hurdles, accelerating new product development and market entry. The process is also significantly more affordable than conventional methods of manufacturing plant protein isolates, since …

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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

© Onego Bio
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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Finnish food tech company BioMush has developed solid-state fermentation technology using fungi to transform edible side streams and food waste into umami-flavored ingredients for plant-based foods.

Image courtesy of BioMush
Fermentation

BioMush Unveils Plug-and-Play Fermentation Tech to Turn Industry Sidestreams into Umami Ingredients

Finnish food tech company BioMush has developed solid-state fermentation technology using fungi to transform edible side streams and food waste into umami-flavored ingredients. The innovation targets food industry operators to help them address industrial waste while creating natural, clean-label flavoring solutions for plant-based foods. Outi Mäkinen, Tytti-Lotta Ojala, and Reetta Andolin founded BioMush in 2021 in Espoo. Under the leadership of CEO Kaisa Karhunen, the startup has raised $3.08 million to address the 14% of global food industry side streams wasted annually. The Finnish startup unveiled its first demo-scale bioreactor at the Future Food-Tech event in London. Karhunen shared in the announcement, “Our primary clients are food manufacturers that have both usable by-products and a need for flavor products. To our knowledge, we are the first and …

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Raisio Food Solutions' plant-based ready-to-use sauce with noodles on a white plate

© Raisio
Food & Beverage

Raisio Unveils New Plant-Based Offerings at SIAL 2024

Raisio, a Finnish food company with over eight decades of experience in health-focused, responsibly produced food, is set to showcase its latest plant-based innovations at SIAL 2024. Specializing in gluten-free oats and plant proteins, Raisio has earned a reputation in the oat industry and plant-based food sector as a provider of plant-based food solutions. Raisio launches shelf-stable plant-based Sauces for HoReCa At SIAL, Raisio will highlight its new Beanit® ready-to-use plant-based sauces, developed specifically for the B2B and HoReCa sectors. These sauces, made from fava beans and peas, offer a convenient solution for professional kitchens, as they are shelf-stable and can be used or heated with minimal preparation. The new products combine rich plant-based protein with flavorful sauces, designed to meet the growing demand for …

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Company News

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

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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Oddlygood cake

© Oddlygood
Interviews

Oddlygood: “Our Ambition is Always to Make ‘Odd’ the New Norm”

Originally founded in Finland as part of the Valio Group, Oddlygood is a plant-based food and beverage company known for its dairy-free alternatives such as plant-based milks, desserts, yogurts, and cheeses, with a focus on oat-based. After acquiring Nordic brand Planti in a strategic move almost a year ago, the brand has seen retail success in the UK as well as northern European markets, and previously launched its Barista Oat drink on the US market in 2022. This February, Oddlygood received a Product of the Year award in the UK, and was the only completely vegan brand on the 2024 shortlist. We spoke with Amanda Majer, Marketing Manager UK & Ireland at Oddlygood, to find out the secret to Oddlygood’s success that has led to …

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

© Solar Foods
Company News

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

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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Jukka Kajan of Plant Based Foods Finland

Jukka Kajan. © Plant Based Foods Finland
People

Plant Based Foods Finland Appoints First Executive Director to Strengthen Advocacy Efforts

Industry association Plant Based Foods Finland (Pro Vege in Finnish) has appointed its first executive director, Jukka Kajan. Previously, Kajan has worked as a food industry consultant and Public Affairs Manager at Raisio Group. Niklas Kaskeala, Chairman of the Board at Plant Based Foods Finland, says Kajan’s leadership will help to strengthen the association’s advocacy efforts. “We look forward to Nordic and European cooperation led by Jukka, who brings extensive knowledge of plant-based food value chains and is a well-connected and active advocate for food system transformation,” he says. In its first year, Plant Based Foods Finland has amassed 27 members, including all major retail chains in the country and participants from the restaurant sector, research institutions, and cellular agriculture. Kajan describes the number of …

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© Onego Bio
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Onego Bio Secures $15.2M for Animal-Free Bio-Identical Egg Protein

US-Finnish precision fermentation company Onego Bio has secured $15.2 million in funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Program and other Series A investors. This takes the amount raised by the company in 2024 to $55 million, and its total funding to $70.8 million. Onego Bio produces Bioalbumen®, an animal-free bio-identical egg protein manufactured as an industrial food ingredient. Bioalbumen is said to have perfect protein quality, full functionality, and a neutral flavor; it could also alleviate the environmental burden of conventional egg production by as much as 90%, while providing a stable supply. This is likely to be very attractive to manufacturers, since chicken eggs have been plagued by supply chain issues in recent years. Commercialization Onego says it is focusing on commercializing …

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Alex Crisp discusses eggs with Maija from Onego Bio

© Future of Foods
Egg Alternatives

Future of Foods Podcast: Maija Itkonen, CEO of Onego Bio Produces Bio-Identical Egg Proteins Without Chickens

Alex Crisp, host of Future of Foods Interviews, talks to Maija Itkonen, CEO and co-founder of Finnish precision fermentation company Onego Bio, about manufacturing real egg white protein, entirely without the use of chickens, which as Maija explains, are the most abused animal in the world. Onego Bio produces Bioalbumen, which the company says is bioidentical ovalbumin, the most important protein in egg white, delivering the nutritional and functional qualities of traditional eggs. The product was a winner in Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards, with Bioalbumen named the Winner of the Food category and a Finalist in the Agriculture category. This April, the company raised $40 million in one of the largest Series A rounds in the Nordics, with the fresh funds being …

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Myocopia & University of Helsinki develop growth free medium

Myocopia / University of Helsinki
Cultivated Meat

University of Helsinki Develops “Game-Changing” Cultivated Meat Technology Without Growth Medium Using Stem Cells

Pekka Katajisto of the University of Helsinki’s HiLIFE (Helsinki Institute of Life Science) and his team at the Myocopia project have developed a technology based on stem cell research that they believe would allow the large-scale production of cultivated meat, thus bringing affordable products to the market. The Myocopia researchers argue that cultivating meat in bioreactors relies on expensive growth factors to make the cells grow and differentiate, and these costs hinder cultivated meat companies from growing sufficient volumes of meat cost-effectively. However, after researching how cellular metabolism regulates the division and differentiation of muscle stem cells, the Myocopia team has found another approach to achieve the same cell behavior without using a growth medium. “I believe our innovation is going to be a game …

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Enifer mycoprotein facility

© Enifer
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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The UK's Ivy Farm Technologies announces it has signed a manufacturing agreement with Synbio Powerlabs Oy, the Finnish leader in synthetic biology, to produce its cultivated meat products at a large scale.

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm
Cultivated Meat

Ivy Farm Partners with Synbio Powerlabs to Cultivate Meat At “Unprecedented” Scale

UK-based Ivy Farm Technologies announces it has signed a manufacturing agreement with Synbio Powerlabs, a Finnish leader in synthetic biology, to produce its cultivated meat products in large fermenters. According to Synbio Powerlabs, cultivated meat will be produced on an unprecedented scale in Finland. The Finnish firm is converting a sizeable food-grade facility into a fermentation hub supported by a €2.99 million grant from the Finnish government. Expected to be operational by early 2025, the facility will include production scales at 10,000 and 27,000 L and six 250,000 L manufacturing vessels. Once opened, it will be the largest facility of its kind in the world, according to the announcement. Gaining access to Synbio Powerlabs’ expertise and facilities, Ivy Farms will scale up its cultivated meat production to …

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Plant based grilled burger patty with grill marks and rock salt isolated on white. Top view.

© Moving Moment-stock.adobe.com
Studies & Numbers

Researchers Discover Ideal Fava Bean Blend for Tasty & Fibrous Plant-Based Meat

Scientists from the University of Helsinki have discovered a promising protein blend for plant-based meat: whole fava bean (also commonly known as fava or broad bean) groat flour (hulled husks) combined with pea protein isolate (PPI). Fava beans are a promising ingredient for producing meat analogs. However, the researchers argue that protein concentrate from these beans has been hindered by its bitter taste, which is attributed to compounds such as free phenolics, vicine, convicine, saponins, and oxidized fatty acids. To overcome the bitter challenge so disliked by consumers, they explored in a new study the feasibility of using two different types of fava bean ingredients instead of concentrates: flour from germinated, gently heat-treated beans and groat from non-germinated, roasted beans. According to the researchers, both heat …

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© Quorn
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

VTT Study Finds Mycoprotein a Sustainable Superfood & Next-Level Nutrient Powerhouse

Research by a team of scientists at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland shows that mycoprotein is a valuable ingredient: it offers digestible proteins and, unlike meat, dietary fiber.  These findings are relevant because various studies suggest that dietary fiber intake significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. The VTT study evaluated the nutritional quality of different microbial biomass samples by assessing their protein digestibility and carbohydrate (fiber) fermentability in the colon using in vitro methods. According to the researchers, previous studies centered on protein content, overlooking fiber, glucose, and other macronutrients. Four microbial biomasses were selected to determine whether they could be both a protein and dietary fiber source for the human diet: one hydrogen-oxidizing …

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

© Solar Foods
Fermentation

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

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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Three Mushketeers stand

© Three Mushketeers
Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Finnish Startup Three Mushketeers is Redefining Plant-Based Taste with Mushroom Waste

Three Mushketeers is a food tech startup from Helsinki Finland, working to revolutionize the taste of plant-based foods by using sustainable, clean-label ingredients derived from mushroom waste.  Emmi Korjus, Emma Kynkäänniemi, and Ida Nikkilä, experts in food technology, food chemistry, and nutrition science, co-founded the startup with a mission to address the main challenges faced by the vegan food industry: tastelessness and off-flavors. According to the team, despite the growing popularity of sustainable eating and veganism, 60% of consumers still dislike the taste of these products. However, Three Mushketeers says its innovative product offers a straightforward solution. Masking off-flavors Using a proprietary technology called “remush,” the startup processes by-products of mushroom cultivation into a savory powder that is said to effectively mask off-flavors in plant …

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Onego Bio raises funding for animal-free egg protein

© Onego Bio
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Onego Bio Raises $40M to Commercialize “Revolutionary” Animal-Free Egg Protein

US-Finnish biotech company Onego Bio has raised $40 million in one of the largest Series A rounds in the Nordics. The funding will be used to drive the commercialization and manufacturing of the company’s animal-free egg protein, which is produced using precision fermentation. The round was led by NordicNinja, with participation from Tesi, EIT Food, Agronomics, and more. It also includes $10 million in non-dilutive funding from the Finnish government association Business Finland. Previously, Onego Bio raised €10 million in seed funding in 2022, after being founded as a spinoff from VTT (the Technical Research Center of Finland). Onego Bio’s ingredient, Bioalbumen®, has a neutral taste and is bioidentical to the major egg white protein ovalbumin. It contains all the essential amino acids, has the …

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Oddlygood Barista and desserts roll out into Asda

© Oddlygood

Products & Launches

Oddlygood Arrives in Asda UK with Dreamy Desserts & Flavoured Barista Oat Drinks

Oddlygood, a spinoff of Valio, a renowned Finnish food company, this week rolls out its Barista Oat Drinks — already a best-selling range in Europe –as well as two varieties of its Dreamy Desserts, into Asda in the UK. The products are all free of gluten and palm oil and the milks offer “amazing foamability”, thanks to having one of the highest protein contents in the segment, according to the brand, of around 1.2g/100g. The Barista drinks launch into Asda in Salted Caramel and Vanilla, marking their UK debut, and the desserts launch in the varieties Dreamy Lemon Dessert and Dreamy Berries Dessert. Oddlygood’s original Barista Oat Drink will also be available in Asda stores from June. The launch comes as part of the brand’s …

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