Sparkalis – the first global FoodTech venture in bakery, patisserie and chocolate launched by Puratos – has acquired a minority stake in Fooditive, which specialises in next-gen sustainable plant-based ingredients.
Since founding in 2018, The Netherlands-based Fooditive has risen to prominence for successfully harnessing its precision fermentation tech to produce groundbreaking innovations.
Its repertoire includes an upcycled calorie-free sweetener made from apple and pear side streams launched in 2021. The natural sweetener provides not only the taste and functionality of sugar, but also a sustainable impact.
With the consumers increasingly embracing the value of veganism in meeting sustainability demands, the Rotterdam-headquartered specialist has also created a vegan casein, a pea-based protein that mimics the taste of milk in food and beverage applications.
Last year, it revealed it is on track to produce the world’s first vegan honey, made by copying the DNA of conventional honey and using fermentation enzymes to produce a bee-free alternative. As well as providing all the benefits of traditional honey, the bee-free honey will address consumer concerns about animal welfare and sustainability.
The company also recently became the first food industry signatory to the Washington Compact, a new agreement on conducting business operations in outer space. For this, Fooditive is developing a 3D printing tech that can produce food from waste plastic called BioPrint, aimed to be ready for the first mission to land humans on Mars in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
Creating truly sustainable supply chains
The investment by Sparkalis will boost Fooditive’s footprint into new geographies and gain an audience not previously reached.
“Our partnership with Sparkalis will give Fooditive access to many countries worldwide where we do not already have a market presence,” said Moayad Abushokhedim, Fooditive CEO and founder.
“This will enable us to take our innovations to a wider audience and in doing so bring about the changes that are needed to ensure the food supply chains of the future are truly sustainable.”
Sparkalis MD Filip Arnaut has joined Fooditive’s (now) 11-strong advisory board, which provides expert advice and tech insights to support the mission to create plant-based ingredients that are healthier for consumers, better for the planet and kinder to animals.
“Sparkalis has acquired a stake in Fooditive because we share the same vision for the future of the food industry,” said Arnaut.
“We are both committed to facilitating innovative solutions that will change the way we think about food production and create a more sustainable footprint for the industry.”
Deep desire to incubate innovation
Puratos launched Sparkalis in March 2021, to promote innovation in the bakery, bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors.
Sparkalis acts as an inclusive incubator to kick-start FoodTech ideas, providing direct investment, along with mentoring by a dedicated Puratos specialist to catalyse the chances of success.
It also provides expertise in product development, global scaling of market-ready solutions, support around regulatory requirements and training opportunities, as well as access to Puratos’ Taste Tomorrow consumer behaviour research programme.
“Sparkalis was born out of a deep desire to support inspiring food tech pioneers and build success stories together,” said Arnaut.
“Sparkalis underscores Puratos’ continued commitment to driving innovation to create a healthier and more sustainable ‘foodprint’ around the world.”
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