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Image credits: PectCof

PectCof, a Dutch startup that extracts bio-compounds (pectin) from industrial coffee waste, announced that it has raised €2M in funding from Brightlands Venture Partners, Future Food Fund, and its management team.

As a part of the funding round, Daniela Ribezzo will join the company as the new CEO.

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Ribezzo says, “I am very pleased to join PectCof and eager to bring the company to the next level. We are looking forward to offering our customers the opportunity to co-develop new clean-label formulations, in line with the latest trends in the food and beverages industry.”

The funds will enable PectCof to accelerate technology development, scale up the production of its first product Dutch Gum, and broaden its customer base. 

PectCof: What you need to know

Founded by Rudi Dieleman in 2012, PectCof has developed a proprietary technology to transform the side stream of coffee pulp biomass into valuable bio compounds. The company’s technology consists of a biorefinery approach in which they make use of green chemistry and state-of-the-art biotechnology. 

The company’s first product is called Dutch Gum. In the past year, it has been successfully tested as an emulsifier, stabiliser, texturiser amongst others in candies, sauces, and soft drinks. 

Dieleman, who is also the COO, says, “We cut CO2 emissions and pollution by recognising coffee pulp as a valuable resource while we also create an additional revenue stream for coffee farmers.”

Investors

Brightlands Venture Partners (BVP) is the fund manager of the Brightlands Agrifood Fund. BVP invests in companies benefiting from and contributing to the Brightlands campuses in the south of the Netherlands.

Kim de Boer of Brightlands Venture Partners says, “Contributing to sustainable use of the earth’s resources in our food production system is a key element of our investment strategy. This investment fits well our portfolio and our focus on innovations in the food value-chain.”

Future Food Fund is a €12M Seed Capital Fund founded and funded by 30 successful entrepreneurs. It is aimed at Dutch companies that want to impact the Food & Agri sector with innovative technology and/or disruptive business models.

Jeroen Kimmels of Future Food Fund says, “Impressed with the potential of the technology, we have been following PectCof for years. Anticipating a breakthrough, we felt it was time to invest and strengthen the team. This has already been fruitful; the new team has already pushed PectCof further than ever.”