Enifer Secures €36m for Mycoprotein Factory in Finland, Aiming for Pet Food and Aqua Feed Markets

Finnish biotech startup Enifer has successfully secured €36 million in funding to establish a food-grade mycoprotein factory in Kantvik, Finland. Set to be operational by 2026, the facility will produce 500 kilograms of mycoprotein per hour, initially targeting the pet food and aqua feed markets.

The company, founded in 2020 by CEO Simo Ellilä, aims to expand its production to human food after obtaining EU novel foods approval. Ellilä co-founded Enifer with the goal of cultivating fungal proteins for alternative meats, breakfast cereals, and other food products. "Our founder team were biotech scientists, trained, educated in Finland, and we'd never heard of this thing... So, really well forgotten," Ellilä remarked.

Development of the factory is already underway on a brownfield site in Kantvik. Once completed, the facility will employ 15 people during regular operations. This move is expected to bolster the local economy and create job opportunities in the region.

Enifer's proprietary single-cell fungus-based protein, branded Pekilo, was originally developed in the 1960s and '70s by the Finnish paper industry. The initial goal was to address pollution caused by paper mills dumping production waste into local waterways. Engineers developed a biorefining and fermentation process to grow and harvest the fungus at a commercial scale, primarily for wastewater treatment.

This investment in mycoprotein production has significant implications for the future of sustainable food production and reducing environmental impact. As the global demand for protein sources continues to grow, innovative solutions like Enifer's mycoprotein factory can help mitigate the ecological footprint of the food industry.

Pekilo fell out of use in the early 1990s when the paper industry shifted to incinerating its waste, and the engineering company that developed it went bankrupt. The knowledge of Pekilo was largely forgotten until Enifer's biotech founders rediscovered it in 2020. "It basically started from the fact that people in the lab realized that if you left this stuff over the weekend on the lab bench it would start to grow fungus — and so that was like the 'ah-ha' moment," Ellilä explained.

With the establishment of the new factory, Enifer aims to leverage this rediscovered technology to address modern needs for alternative protein sources. The initial focus on pet food and aqua feed markets allows the company to build a solid foundation before expanding to human food production.

Enifer's journey from rediscovery to commercialization of Pekilo highlights the potential of forgotten technologies to solve contemporary challenges. As the company moves forward, it will be interesting to see how their efforts impact the food industry and contribute to sustainable practices.

Key Takeaways

• Finnish biotech startup Enifer raises €36m to build mycoprotein factory in Finland.
• Factory to produce 500kg/hour of mycoprotein for pet food and aqua feed markets by 2026.
• Enifer aims to expand to human food production after EU novel foods approval.
• Factory will create 15 jobs and boost local economy in Kantvik, Finland.
• Enifer's mycoprotein production to contribute to sustainable food production and reduce environmental impact.