Undisclosed · Other round · Cleantech · Bern, Switzerland
Gaia Tech, a Bern-based cleantech company turning agricultural side streams into functional ingredients, has secured an undisclosed strategic investment from Kielder Agro Group. The deal includes new equity from Kielder, while a pre-existing loan from the W.A. de Vigier Foundation was converted into equity alongside the round.
The company will use the fresh capital for research, product development and scaling its core ingredient portfolio, as well as developing new ingredients. Eduardo Pares, CEO of Kielder Agro Group, has joined Gaia Tech's board following the investment.
Gaia Tech works with biomass that food production often leaves behind, including olive pomace, rapeseed cake and spent coffee grounds. Its platform analyses those materials, identifies useful compounds and develops extraction and validation processes for ingredients aimed at cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food manufacturers.
A strategic investor can connect feedstock to customers
For an upcycled-ingredients company, the laboratory process is only one part of the commercial system. Production needs a dependable supply of consistent agricultural material, while customers need repeatable batches, performance data, regulatory documentation and formulations that work in their own products. Kielder operates across farming, food products and extracts, which gives the partnership a practical route into both biomass supply and industrial market knowledge.
That connection matters because Gaia Tech is moving from research towards a broader product portfolio. The company lists its olive-derived Phenoliva Active ingredient as commercially available, while rapeseed-derived Brassica Bright and nutraceutical product Phenoliva Vita remain under development. Scaling several inputs and end markets will test whether its extraction platform can stay consistent as raw materials and customer specifications change.
Gaia Tech grew from the EIT Food-supported Phenoliva research project, established its legal entity in 2021 and became an ETH Zurich spin-off in 2023. The strategic round can help it move beyond a single ingredient, but the commercial proof will come from qualified products, repeat orders and dependable supply rather than the availability of waste biomass alone.
