Project Eaden bags €15m to scale up production
Berlin-based food tech start-up Project Eaden is prepared to launch its first plant-based ham product by mid-year in 2,000 REWE supermarkets. A oversubscribes Series A financing laid the basis for this success
“We have successfully closed an oversubscribed €15 million Series A for our market launch”, announced Berlin-based founders of foodtech specialist Project Eaden. “This milestone brings us closer to making (plant-based) meat alternatives irresistibly yummy and the first choice for billions of people, stated co-founders and Managing Directors Dr David Schmelzeisen and Jan Wilmking. New investors include Planet A Ventures, REWE Group, DTCF | DeepTech & Climate Fonds, Happiness Capital | Certified B Corp, and AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance . Existing partners, Creandum, FoodLabs, and Magnetic Capital also participated in the Series A financing round that brings the total capital raised to €27m.
The plan is now to cost-effectivley scale up Project Eaden’s proprietary wet protein fiber spinning technology adapted from the textile industry to produce ultra-realistic plant-based meats with the look, taste, and chew of animal meat. According to the company, each kilogram of its first product, a plant-based ham, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 kg CO₂-eq, equivalent to driving about 100 kilometers in a fossil-fuel car. Water use is reduced by up to 56 m³ per kilogram, comparable to the daily consumption of 660 Europeans. Land use is decreased by up to 20 m² per kilogram.
In contrast to food-tech companies focussed on precision fermentation, Project Eaden does not face any regulatory hurdles as plant-based proteins are no subject to the EU Novel Food Regulation. The start up company has a contract with REWE to start marketing of its ham from mid-2025 in the about 2,000 supermarkets of the retailer.
