Celleste Bio Develops First Chocolate-Grade Cocoa Butter with Plant Cell Technology
Celleste Bio, a cocoa technology company, has announced the successful production of the first chocolate-grade cocoa butter made through plant cell culture technology, supporting its effort to build a more resilient and sustainable cocoa supply chain. Real cocoa butter, without the beans At the EIT Food‘s Next Bite Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Celleste introduced the innovative cocoa butter, which is chemically and functionally identical to cocoa butter derived from traditional …
Prefer Raises $4.2M in Oversubscribed Round, Launches Soluble Coffee & Cocoa Powders Made With Fermentation
Singapore-based food tech startup Prefer has secured US$4.2 million in an oversubscribed funding round. This brings the total amount raised by the company to US$6.2 million. The round was led by At One Ventures and Chancery Hill Capital, with participation from existing investor Forge Ventures. The news comes as Prefer announces the commercial launch of its new soluble coffee and cocoa powders, made using a proprietary precision fermentation process. Prefer’s …
Barry Callebaut Explores Cocoa Cell Culture Technology in Partnership With Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Leading chocolate producer Barry Callebaut has partnered with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) to explore the potential of cocoa cell culture technology. Cocoa cell culture involves the cultivation of cocoa cells in a controlled environment, and has significant potential to improve the sustainability of the industry. It could also help to increase the resilience of cocoa supply chains, which have been affected by climate change and extreme weather. …
Cellva Shifts Focus to Microencapsulation Technology with Launch of Cocoa Substitute
Cellva has recently undergone a strategic pivot, refocusing its efforts on microencapsulation technology, which it sees as central to its future growth. This shift is accompanied by the consolidation of its research and development and administrative operations, all aimed at streamlining its processes and reinforcing its commitment to sustainable food solutions. The future of cocoa The company’s new direction is highlighted by the launch of CoffeeCoa™, a cocoa substitute developed …
Celleste Bio Secures $4.5M to Scale Production of Cell-Cultured Cocoa, Mondelēz VC Arm Participates
Cocoa-tech startup Celleste Bio has raised $4.5 million in a seed round to produce its cell-cultured cocoa ingredients for the food industry. The round was led by early-stage investor Supply Change Capital, with the participation of Mondelēz International’s venture capital arm SnackFutures Ventures, Consensus Business Group, Barrel Venture Partners, The Trendlines Group, and Regba Agriculture. The new funds will help Celleste Bio boost its research and development, infrastructure, and technological capabilities …
Chocolate Giant Puratos Makes Strategic Investment in California Cultured’s Cell-Based Cacao
California Cultured, a startup pioneering plant cell culture to produce cacao, has received an undisclosed investment from Sparkalis, the food tech venture arm of the Belgian international group Puratos. The new capital will fund the startup’s scaling operations at an upcoming new facility (currently under construction) to bring a cell-based cocoa powder product to the market. Filip Arnaut, managing director of Sparkalis, commented: “At Sparkalis, we seek out visionary startups …
$4M Invested in California Cultured’s Cell-Cultured Chocolate to Solve Deforestation and Child Labor in Cocoa
Agronomics has led a Seed Funding Round for California Cultured, a food-tech company based in Davis, California, which utilises cell culture technology to produce cocoa products like cocoa powder, chocolate, cocoa butter and flavanols in order to circumvent the serious issues arising from cocoa production such as deforestation and child slave labor. California Cultured was founded by cell-culture technology veterans Alan Perlstein and Harrison Yoon, as a way to address …