Solar Foods

Recognized under Tier 6 — Food Systems, Solar Foods is a Finnish company producing Solein, a protein made by fermenting hydrogen-oxidizing microbes on captured carbon dioxide, electricity, water, and minerals rather than on plants or animals. Solein received novel-food regulatory approval in Singapore in 2022, the first market where the ingredient is authorized for sale, and has since appeared in retail ice cream and snack products there. The company has secured an €77.8 million ($89 million) funding package from Business Finland toward Factory 02, a planned 12,800-tonne-per-year production facility, with a final investment decision targeted for 2026 and novel-food applications pending in the EU and US. Because Solein requires no arable land, sunlight, or agricultural water, its fermentation process is a direct analog for food production that does not depend on soil or weather — a model relevant to sealed habitats where growing conventional crops is impractical.