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Danish start-up Reduced raises €385 in pre-seed funding in its efforts to combat food surplus

2 min read
AUTHOR: Tilly St Aubyn
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reduced food jars

Danish foodtech start-up Reduced has raised €385k investment in its pre-seed round of funding which was led by Impact Capital Partners with Rockstart as co-investors.  

Reduced creates flavour enhancers from surplus produce, with a particular emphasis on deep and intense umami flavours. Its development of a unique process using upcycled animal protein has culminated in four products (veal, chicken, vegetable and shellfish) which, when added to food, are intended to add a significant rise in umami. The start-up hopes that such products will capitalise on the $160 billion global market of soups, sauces and condiments.  

Reduced plans to use the funding to build a production facility for a new product line which they have already been testing at The Technological Institute of Denmark. It will also work towards a broader distribution of its existing products in the hope of making make a significant impact in the growing segment of upcycled food. 

Since its conception in 2020, Reduced has also obtained substantial distribution in Danish retail and collaborated with major Danish food and agriculture companies including Blue Lobster, Balkan Berries and Convi Foods. 

Mark Durno, Managing Partner of Agrifood Fund, Rockstart, said in a press release: “Side streams within the food industry are currently a huge contributor to food waste. Reduced has shown that these side streams also represent an underutilised resource as ingredients for quality products.

“When we initially invested, we were impressed with how the founders, Emily and William, had been able to develop and launch products with lightning speed. That intensity has continued, and we are delighted to continue to back Reduced as they lead the way in bringing high quality upcycled food products to the market under the Reduced brand.” 

Reduced’s Co-Founder, Emile Munck de Voos commented: “We want to change how the world sees food resources, and we believe we can do this by creating extremely well-tasting upcycled food products. The funding will allow us to build the production plant for the flavour enhancers and scale our distribution. We are excited to have Impact Capital Partners and Rockstart on board and our private investors. It’s a huge opportunity to have such a strong group of investors who understand food production and taste’s importance in the future of food.” 

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