Celleste Bio is a technology company.
Celleste Bio has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round.
Celleste Bio has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Celleste Bio is an early-stage cocoa tech company founded in 2022 that develops proprietary plant cell culture technology to produce 100% natural, bio-identical cocoa ingredients like chocolate-grade cocoa butter and powder.[1][2][3][4] It serves the $16 billion chocolate industry by addressing cocoa supply shortages driven by climate change, deforestation, and volatile prices, enabling scalable production without relying on cocoa trees.[2][4][6] The company extracts cells from 1-2 beans per pod, grows them in controlled bioreactors using water and nutrients in a continuous cycle, and combines biotech, agtech, and AI for consistent, high-quality output resilient to environmental disruptions.[1][2][6] Backed by investors like Supply Change Capital and Mondelez's SnackFutures Ventures, Celleste has raised $5.6 million and achieved a milestone in October 2025 by unveiling the first cell-cultured chocolate-grade cocoa butter, matching traditional butter's fatty acid profile, melting point, texture, and "snap."[4][7]
Celleste Bio was established in 2022 in Tel Aviv, Israel, by four founders with deep expertise in agrifood and cellular biology: Hanne Volpin, PhD (co-founder and CTO), Orna Harel, Avishay Levy, and Daphna Michaeli, PhD, with initial support from The Trendlines Group.[1][3][4] The idea emerged from the growing threats to cocoa production—climate change, deforestation, and projections that cocoa could cease to exist by 2050—prompting a shift to cellular agriculture as a sustainable alternative.[2][9] Leadership later expanded with CEO Michal Berresi Golomb, whose business acumen complements Volpin's technical prowess.[4][9] Early traction included developing proprietary tech for bio-identical cocoa ingredients and securing funding, culminating in the 2025 breakthrough of chocolate-grade cocoa butter unveiled at EIT Food's Next Bite Summit.[4][7]
Celleste Bio rides the cellular agriculture wave in food tech, targeting the cocoa crisis amid 10% annual chocolate industry growth, fourfold price spikes, and supply-demand gaps exacerbated by climate change.[1][2][7] Timing is critical: traditional farming faces long-term shortages, making cell-cultured solutions like Celleste's essential for supply resilience without quality trade-offs.[4][9] Market forces favoring it include rising demand for sustainable ingredients, investor interest in climate-resilient agtech (e.g., $5.6M raised), and partnerships with giants like Mondelez to redefine supply chains.[1][7] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering scalable, tree-free cocoa production, complementing farming while pushing regulatory paths in the EU and commercialization pilots.[3][7]
Celleste Bio is poised to disrupt cocoa supply with its validated cell-cultured butter, building a 1,000L pilot facility by end-2025 and pursuing commercialization and regulatory approvals (EU first).[7] Next steps include fundraising for scaled production and R&D, potentially achieving price parity and broader adoption amid ongoing shortages.[7][9] Trends like precision fermentation rivals (e.g., Smey) and food tech investment will shape its path, but its chocolate-specific focus and bio-identical results position it as a frontrunner for a resilient $16B market.[6][7] As climate pressures mount, Celleste could evolve from supplement to cornerstone, securing chocolate's future without compromising its essence—just as its minimal-bean tech scales nature's pod into global abundance.[2][6]
Celleste Bio has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Celleste Bio's investors include Collide Capital, Supply Change Capital.
Celleste Bio has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Seed in December 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2024 | $5.0M Seed | Collide Capital, Supply Change Capital |