Swedish alt-fat start-up Melt&Marble has been selected to receive a €2.5 million grant and potential future equity investment by the European Innovation Council (EIC).
Additionally, the start-up has also secured a further €260,000 grant from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, part of the EU’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy.
The funding will accelerate Melt&Marble’s journey to commercialise its fermentation-based fats.
The EIC's recognition underscores the nature of Melt&Marble’s precision fermentation and microbial engineering platform, which promises to deliver healthy energy- and resource-efficient, low-emission foods.
Selected as part of a competitive process that saw 969 companies submit a full grant proposal, Melt&Marble is one of 68 European deep-tech start-ups the jury chose to receive the blend of grant and equity funding unique to the EIC Accelerator.
Melt&Marble will focus on developing dairy fats to enhance the organoleptic properties of dairy analogues. This initiative will accelerate the company’s ‘DairyMarble’ programme, aiming to provide superior dairy fats for the next generation of cheese, butter and bakery products.
The EIC funding will enable the alt-fat firm to scale up its process further and advance to pre-commercial levels. The grant will also support the application development of the company's first product, MeatyMarble, while reducing production costs in preparation for a commercial launch.
MeatyMarble is a solid, meat-like fat designed to replicate the properties of animal-derived fats for use in alternative meat products, resulting in a more delicious and sustainable alternative. The start-up is exploring the potential of MeatyMarble in other industries, including personal care, where there is a growing demand for sustainable speciality fats driven by evolving consumer preferences.
Melt&Marble’s chief business officer Thomas Cresswell commented: ‘’These grants mark a significant milestone for Melt&Marble, enabling us to decrease production costs, scale our innovative technology and bring sustainable fats to market. We are excited about the opportunities this creates for us to progress on our mission to enable the transition to a more sustainable agri-food system.’’
