Lindt & Sprüngli and Sparkalis invest in Food Brewer

(CONNECT) Chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli and Belgian venture capital firm Sparkalis have invested in Food Brewer AG in a recently completed financing round. In a press release, the young company based at the Horgen Labs Innovation Campus welcomes both as strategic investors and new employees. It describes the involvement of both as "further confirmation of our business and the market need for what we are building".

Food Brewer was founded in 2021. The company produces cocoa and coffee powder from plant cell cultures and thus offers food companies an alternative supply of products made from these tropical plants. According to Food Brewer, "the traditional cultivation of these plants is becoming increasingly difficult, while global demand is growing at the same time".

Food Brewer extracts the cells from the plants that are responsible for the growth of the bean. The Zurich-based start-up has patented the particularly time-efficient method for this identification process. On average, it takes a few weeks to complete the cell line.

The selected cells then grow into a larger cell mass in a tank with a suitable nutrient solution, which is ready for harvesting after a few days. After removing some of the cells, they are subjected to a drying process. This ultimately results in cocoa or coffee in powder form. ce/mm