Revyve —a Dutch startup making clean label replacements for eggs and additives from yeast—has raised €24 million ($28 million) in a Series B round to scale operations to meet demand.
The round was co-led by ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund and Invest-NL with support from BOM, Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, Grey Silo Ventures, Oost NL and Royal Cosun, taking its cumulative funding to more than €40 million ($47 million).
Founded in 2019 as FUMI Ingredients by Edgar Suarez Garcia and Corjan van den Berg, Revyve uses “simple mechanical processing” to extract proteins and other ingredients from yeast that have functional properties from gelling and foaming to emulsification.
The neutral tasting, off-white protein, listed as ‘yeast protein’ on product labels, can replace eggs and eliminate additives in processed foods, helping firms keep costs down, clean up labels, secure consistent supplies, and meet ESG goals.
The new funds will enable Revyve to expand output at its production facility in Dinteloord to 1,600+ tons per year, ensuring reliable supply for global accounts, says the firm, which supplies customers in the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
CEO Cedric Verstraeten told AgFunderNews: “This funding ensures we can meet commercial demand at global scale while reaching positive unit economics.”
‘Scalable, functional, and sustainable alternatives to eggs’
While raising money in the current climate is challenging, said Verstraeten, “Our pitch resonated. The world needs scalable, functional, and sustainable alternatives to eggs.
“Our yeast proteins can match or even outperform different functionalities of eggs, such as aeration, emulsification, and gelling. This versatility means they can be used to replace different types of egg ingredients across bakery, sauces, meat alternatives, and dairy analogs. We can, for example, replace egg yolk in sauces and dressings, but also full egg in bakery.”
While yeast protein cannot always serve as a 1:1 drop-in replacement for eggs, he said, “With minor formulation tweaks they deliver the same sensory and functional experience. For formulators, the appeal is clear: texture that matches eggs; cleaner labels with single-ingredient, non-GMO, allergen-free options; and consistent supply and price stability compared to volatile egg markets. We are price competitive with eggs, which is why customers are integrating us into mainstream products.”
Using both brewer’s spent yeast and primary-grown baker’s yeast “gives us flexibility,” he added.
“Brewer’s yeast offers a mild umami profile, while baker’s yeast provides a neutral, gluten-free ingredient. We micronize the yeast cells and separate proteins and fibers while preserving native functionality. We do not use enzymes or solvents. We scale with off-the-shelf equipment and existing food-industry assets. The process and applications are protected by strong IP.”
AB InBev—an early partner and investor, “remains a minority shareholder, innovation partner and brewer’s yeast supplier,” he said. “Alongside them, we collaborate with global yeast players like Lallemand Bio-Ingredients and ingredient manufacturers like Cosun, strengthening our scalability, innovation and commercial reach.”
Beyond yeast…
Revyve is focused on Europe and North America and actively expanding into Asia Pacific, said Verstraeten. “In the EU, our process is not novel, while in the US our GRAS [Generally Recognized as Safe] status is confirmed by expert consensus, which makes adoption by food manufacturers straightforward and low risk.”
The current focus is on commercially available yeast, he added, “But we are evaluating other microbial sources, including spent biomass from different processes. Our modular, flexible process can adapt to different feedstocks and end uses.”
