Funded under the EMFF 2020 Blue Economy Window call, PEKILO®Aqua project advances the launch of Enifer’s PEKILO® P65 mycoprotein as a sustainabe alternative to soy in aquafeed.
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has awarded the Finnish mycoprotein start-up Enifer a €1.2M BlueInvest Grant to advance the commercialization of their revolutionary new aquafeed protein ingredient PEKILO®. The project will bring valuable support to Enifer’s on-going efforts in process and product development, and commercialization together with its industrial partners.
Today, the European aquaculture sector is entirely dependent on imports of soy protein concentrate, which comes with a strong negative environmental footprint due to its association with deforestation. The PEKILO® protein by Enifer can be produced within Europe close to target markets, using renewable organic side streams from biorefineries, while simultaneously being cost-competitive. It therefore offers a win-win-win for the European aquaculture industry, European biorefineries and the environment. The three-year, monobeneficiary PEKILO®Aqua project strengthens and accelerates Enifer’s go-to-market strategy, enabling the more rapid scale-up and validation of PEKILO®Aqua protein in the aquaculture market.
“We are humbled to have been selected as one of the handful of recipients of this year’s BlueInvest grants. The grant from the EMFF is great recognition for the technology and approach developed by Enifer. It demonstrates that the production of PEKILO® mycoprotein for aquaculture is fully aligned with the European Commission’s drive toward a more sustainable and robust food system in the EU. This support is vital for us at this time, as it will allow us to put the pedal to the metal and drive our vision of sustainable aquaculture forward much faster than we could otherwise have hoped for.” says Simo Ellilä, CEO and Co-founder of Enifer.
The project, which formally kicks off today, is part of the Blue Economy Window call EMFF-BEW-2020. The project, along with others approved by the EMFF, can be viewed on the EU’s portal at https://emff.easme-web.eu/?b=893290364
For more information about the project, please contact:
Joosu Kuivanen – Chief Operating Officer
+358 40 1632966
Joosu.kuivanen@enifer.com