MeliBio

MeliBio
Company typePrivate
Founded2020
Founders
  • Darko Mandich
  • Aaron Schaller
Headquarters
Oakland, California
,
U.S.
Websitewww.melibio.com

MeliBio is an American food tech company that replaces the use of honeybees with microorganisms as a medium for honey production.[1][2][3] The company was founded in 2020 by Darko Mandich and Aaron Schaller.[4][5]

MeliBio is based in Oakland, California.[6]

History

MeliBio was founded in 2020 by Darko Mandich and Aaron Schaller in Berkeley, California.[7][8][9] The company uses plant science and precision fermentation to create a product molecularly identical to honey without the need for bees.[10][11][12]

In March 2022, MeliBio raised $5.7 million in seed funding. The round was led by Astanor Ventures.[13]

In March 2023, MeliBio launched Mellody, its plant-based honey product.[14]

MeliBio was affected by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023, with up to 90% of the company's assets reportedly held at the bank.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ Hall, Christine. "MeliBio's honey production, minus bees, will get you buzzing". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  2. ^ Starostinetskaya, Anna. "New Startup MeliBio Uses Technology, Not Bees, to Make Real Honey". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  3. ^ "What's the buzz on beeless honey?". KCCI. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  4. ^ Ho, Sally (2021-10-01). "We Tasted the World's First Real Honey Made Without Bees From MeliBio and We Couldn't Taste the Difference". Green Queen. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  5. ^ "Darko u SAD radi na proizvodnji meda bez pčela: Za B92.net o tome šta ćemo jesti za 20 godina". B92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  6. ^ "Vegan "Honey" Tastes Like the Real Thing. But Will It Save the Bees?". Bon Appétit. 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  7. ^ Peters, Adele (2020-10-20). "This honey is real—but it wasn't made by bees". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  8. ^ Axworthy, Nicole. "Butterfinger Copycat, Bee-Free Honey, and More Vegan Food News of the Week". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  9. ^ Fuchs, Liliana (2021-10-26). "La miel vegana llega al mercado: sabe igual, pero no intervienen las abejas". Directo al Paladar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  10. ^ "Making honey without bees and milk without cows". BBC News. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  11. ^ admin (2021-04-22). "Honey without bees?". The Western Producer. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  12. ^ "Así es la primera miel vegana en la que no intervienen las abejas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  13. ^ Lakhani-Kanji, Riya (2022-04-07). "World's First Bee-Free Honey Company MeliBio Secures $5.7M In Funding". Plant Based News. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  14. ^ "MeliBio Launches Mellody, the 'World's First' Realistic Plant-Based Honey". vegconomist. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  15. ^ "How the Silicon Valley Bank Crash Impacts Food Businesses". Xtalks. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  16. ^ ""That's how capitalism works," SVB collapse and nutrition and food start-ups take a hit". .nutritioninsight.com/. Retrieved 2023-03-21.