Solar Foods

Solar Foods develops a proprietary bioprocess that produces protein from air, electricity, and fermentation, creating a sustainable food source entirely independent of traditional agriculture. The company's flagship product, Solein, is an all-purpose single-cell protein produced by growing a specific naturally occurring microorganism using hydrogen (from electricity), carbon dioxide (from air), nitrogen, and trace nutrients as raw materials. Solein is nutritionally rich, can taste like anything it is used with, and offers unparalleled functionality for food industry applications. The company's first commercial-scale production facility, Factory 01, began operations in Lappeenranta, Finland in April 2024, making it the world's first production facility producing food out of thin air. Factory 02, currently under design, will scale Solein's production capacity from 160 tons to 6,400 tons annually, and Solar Foods is planning a network of factories worldwide. The company has received a EUR 77.8 million grant and loan financing for Factory 02 construction, received a US patent for the Solein production process, and secured its first US consumer product and Solein order. Solar Foods differentiates itself by breaking the connection between agriculture and food production, eliminating the massive land and water requirements of traditional protein production while creating a limitless, location-independent protein source. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lappeenranta, Finland, Solar Foods has raised approximately $52.4 million in a Series B round backed by Springvest, Lifeline Ventures, VTT Ventures, Fazer, Agronomics, The Finnish Climate Fund, CPT Capital, Tesi, Voima Ventures, Happiness Capital, Green Campus Innovations, Business Finland, and Europa.

Food Tech > Novel Foods > Food Products > Alternative Proteins > Meat Substitute > Air Based