MeliBio, the technology startup producing its flagship bee-free honey product called Mellody, has received an investment from Future Food Fund by Oisix, a Japan-based food technology innovation-focused investor. MeliBio said the investment brings its total funding to $10 million to date.
The latest funding from Future Food Fund will enable MeliBio to expand its Mellody plant-based honey in the United States. MeliBio is focusing its expansion on foodservice, business-to-business and select retail, said Darko Mandich, chief executive officer and co-founder of Mellody.
“Mellody is now available in over 300 locations in the US with distribution through UNFI, KeHE and others,” he said. “Mellody also launched on Walmart Marketplace.”
Mellody’s recent foodservice partners include Palmetto Superfoods, Joyride Pizza and Moto Pizza. Other distributors include Sysco-owned Greco and Sons and Ace Natural.
“Our expansion into new foodservice partners and distributors shows that there’s a growing demand for sustainable and delicious alternatives,” Mandich said. “Mellody offers foodservice and retail customers a chance to provide the honey experience consumers love without the negative impact on bee populations.”
The company, which develops its plant-based honey using plant science and precision fermentation, raised $5.7 million in seed funding in March 2022 and $2.2 million in December 2022.
Those fundraises were aimed at scaling the production of the bee-free honey, according to the company.
MeliBio said it also secured a patent in Germany for the company’s plant-based honey technology.
“What impressed me most about MeliBio is that they not only work toward sustainable food production for humans, but also maintain a thoughtful focus on bees — non-human life — and the ecosystems they shape in harmony with other local species,” said Hiro Hasegawa, venture partner at Future Food Fund. “Darko, the co-founder and CEO, with over a decade of experience in the honey industry, has worked on honey sourcing from beekeepers, managing processing facilities, and building supply chains across Europe and the US, which made him acutely aware of the industry’s problems. At Future Food Fund, we are excited to support MeliBio’s vision of giving bees a break while offering a new model for food production through their exceptional products.”
Article Credit: foodbusinessnews