Edonia: the micro-algae with a thousand virtues

Decarbonizing our food supply: the market for plant-based alternatives

The urgent need for a sustainable alternative

The massive consumption of meat products has a considerable impact on our greenhouse gas emissions, massive water use and deforestation. That's why so many meat alternatives have emerged in recent years. The challenge for these products is considerable: to replace meat's protein intake while retaining an interesting taste, a healthy composition and an affordable price for the consumer.

A fast-growing but still tentative market

Despite some successes, most meat substitutes are losing ground. This is due to the hyper-processing of products, which are less and less appreciated by consumers in search of simple, healthy products. Yet the market is huge : estimated at 23.5 billion euros by Xerfi, with forecast annual growth of 15%.

Microalgae: the solution of the future? 

Often mistakenly associated with algae, microalgae are not plants but protists, tiny single-celled organisms that use light as an energy source. As a result, microalgae cultivation requires very little water, energy or even surface area, and offers high yields. In addition to their ease of cultivation, microalgae are naturally rich in proteins and other nutrients, making them an ideal replacement for meat products in our diet.

Microalgae also hold promise for other sectors in transition (water purification, biofuel production, CO2 capture, cosmetics, etc.). However, their large-scale production and use are still in their infancy, and it is essential to support research and innovation in this sector to promote large-scale, cost-effective and environmentally efficient production to realize the immense potential of this fascinating organism.

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Edonia, the future leader in meat substitute ingredients 

Edonia's innovation 

Thanks to Edonisation, a unique and patented process, Edonia has developed an ingredient that is both highly flavorful, nutritionally unambiguous, rich in proteins, vitamins, and essential minerals, and, a rare feature in this sector, minimally processed.This ingredient is distinguished by its textured, nutritious and organoleptic appearance, revealing the potential of microalgae for food. 

Edonia is positioned as aningredient supplier to food manufacturers. Its product is designed to replace meat products in processed recipes such as lasagne, targeting specialized foodservice, sports nutrition and, in a second phase, the general public.

A team of enthusiasts

The team brings together the complementary expertise of 3 micro-algae enthusiasts. In 2021, Hugo Valentin and Pierre Mignon, CEO and COO respectively, created Ammi,a microalgae-based spread. An experience that enabled them to develop their expertise in this ingredient and grasp its potential, with the ambition of making it the new flagship ingredient in alternative proteins. The duo were joined last summer by Nicolas Irlinger, Edonia's CTO, with expertise in biotechnology and a background at Danone and Sanofi. 

Edonia has also teamed up with researchers atAgroParisTech to develop its product, and intends to strengthen its R&D, industrialization and business development team thanks to their fundraising.‍

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A clear impact for an entire industry ‍

Edonia's solution meets a number of environmental and social challenges. The first Life Cycle Assessments are very promising: thanks to its sober production, Edonia offers a protein product that defies all competition (whether meat products or vegetable products such as soy) in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of nutrition, Edonia's product provides all the proteins that the ground beef it replaces contains, plusother essential nutrients. All this, with a minimalist transformation process. A unique combination with a very positive impact on the nutritional quality of the food products in which it is incorporated.

Edonia's potential impact is therefore immense: to provide a large number of consumers with a new source of protein that is both healthier and less carbon-intensive, without compromising on the taste quality of the products.

‍We're talking about it in the press:

• Edonia grabs €2M to turn microalgae into less bitter-tasting ground meat alternative, Techcrunch
• Paris-based Edonia raises €2 million to produce plant-based ingredientes from microalgae, EU Startups

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