The food industry generates massive amounts of by-products—fruit peels, grape pomace, and spent grains, to name a few. Many of these end up in landfills or are downcycled into animal feed or compost. In France, a Toulouse-based startup, Ferment'Up, is taking a different approach: using fermentation to transform these leftovers into high-value plant-based ingredients.
Fermentation as a Solution to Food Industry Waste
Ferment'Up, founded by biotechnologist Ninna Granucci, applies solid-state fermentation to food industry by-products. By doing so, the company enhances their nutritional profile, creating protein- and fibre-rich powders with low sugar and fat content.
The startup sources discarded ingredients such as tomato skins and seeds from sauce production, grape skins from wineries, and apple remnants from juice processing. Instead of being wasted, these materials undergo fermentation, which removes bitterness, enhances umami flavours, and increases digestibility.
Once fermented and dried, the resulting powders can be incorporated into baked goods, soups, protein bars, and even as a cocoa substitute—a particularly relevant innovation as chocolate production faces increasing environmental scrutiny. With cocoa farming responsible for 70% of chocolate's carbon footprint and deforestation in major producing countries like Côte d’Ivoire, finding alternatives is becoming urgent.
Scaling Up a Circular Economy Model
Ferment'Up has already diverted 150,000 kg of food by-products from landfills, preventing 235 tonnes of CO2 emissions—equivalent to 700 round-trip flights between London and Toulouse.
The company’s solid-state fermentation process is particularly water-efficient, using 60% less water than traditional liquid fermentation methods. This is a crucial advantage as industries seek to reduce their resource consumption while maintaining product quality.
These upcycled ingredients are already making their way into bakeries and food service businesses. The startup is also expanding production capabilities, with a growing team split between its sites in Toulouse and Carpentras.
Industry Recognition
Ferment'Up’s innovative approach has earned it significant recognition within the food tech industry. In 2024, the company won multiple awards, including the Agri-Food Tech Innovation Award and the Grand Prix de l’Innovation Alimentaire. They also were nominated finalists of the Earthshot Prize. These accolades highlight the growing interest in fermentation-based solutions and the role of biotechnology in addressing food waste.
Ferment'Up received funding and support from France 2030’s “Première Usine” initiative, which aims to help industrial startups transition from innovation to large-scale production. The programme, backed by €2.3 billion in funding, positions Ferment'Up as a key player in the industrialisation of sustainable food technology.
The Future of Fermentation in Sustainable Food
While initially developed as an academic research project, Ferment'Up has attracted both private and public funding, securing support to commercialise its products at scale. The company's growing industry recognition and access to funding are setting the stage for international expansion.
Beyond its core mission, Ferment'Up is also advocating for greater diversity in food tech leadership. Despite women being primary decision-makers in household food purchases, their representation in executive roles remains limited. As one of the few female founders in high-tech food startups, Granucci is pushing for more women to have a voice in shaping the future of sustainable food production.
As fermentation gains recognition as a key tool in reducing food waste and creating healthier, circular food systems, startups like Ferment'Up are setting a precedent for how biotechnology can drive both environmental and economic value.