Agrifood Tech | September 14, 2021

Compound Foods raises $4.5 million to climate-proof your morning cup of Joe

Amy Cortese
ImpactAlpha Editor

Amy Cortese

ImpactAlpha, Sept. 15 – Can’t imagine a day without coffee? Neither can we.

Climate change is wreaking havoc on coffee production. Fully half of the coffee-growing land today may not be suitable for the crop in the future. Over the summer, freezing temperatures destroyed much of Brazil’s coffee crop, sending prices surging.

San Francisco-based Compound Foods harnesses food science, fermentation and microbes to produce coffee without the beans.

The startup, founded by Costa Rican native Maricel Saenz, has raised $2.5 million from Lowercarbon Capital, SV Latam Capital, Humboldt Fund, Collaborative Fund, Maple VC and other investors.

Saenz says her beanless java, which she expects to launch by year end, will have just a tenth of the emissions and water use of traditional farmed coffee.