Cellva Enters New Growth Phase Following Pre-Series A Round, Expands Industrial Biotech Platform
Brazilian food biotechnology company Cellva has closed its Pre-Series A funding round, of 4 million dollars, marking a strategic transition from technology validation to industrial-scale execution. The round included the entry of new strategic investors, alongside follow-on participation from Seed-stage backers, reinforcing confidence in the company’s execution capabilities and long-term growth strategy.
More than a financial milestone, the raise signals Cellva’s shift into a new operational phase focused on manufacturing scale, vertically integrated supply chains, and global market expansion.
Cellva develops high-value food ingredients from established agricultural chains, combining proprietary processing technologies with origin control and industrial performance. Its model integrates raw material sourcing, process development, and production infrastructure, enabling supply predictability and standardized output at scale.
One of the company’s key growth drivers is CoffeeCoa: a cocoa-solids alternative developed from the coffee fruit. Designed to reduce exposure to cocoa volatility, CoffeeCoa delivers 1:1 functional replacement across bakery, confectionery, beverage, and nutritional applications. The ingredient is naturally derived, contains no added sugar, no artificial additives or flavorings, and features a low-fat profile, offering a clean-label solution aligned with evolving regulatory and consumer expectations.
In Brazil, Cellva is already supplying industrial bakery manufacturers, chocolate processors, and food companies seeking stable alternatives to cocoa solids amid global supply disruptions. The company is also advancing commercial discussions with partners in Europe, Asia, and the United States, reflecting growing international interest in resilient ingredient systems.
“Global food systems need resilience and diversification,” says Sérgio Pinto, CEO of Cellva. “Brazil holds some of the world’s most structured agricultural chains. Our ambition is to transform those chains into scalable ingredient platforms - generating value at origin while delivering industrial reliability to global manufacturers.”
Brazil plays a central role in Cellva’s strategy. By building its platform within the country, Cellva operates close to origin, ensuring full traceability from farm to finished ingredient. The company partners directly with coffee producers in regulated agricultural regions, leveraging a mature and formalized production ecosystem that provides transparency, compliance, and supply stability.
As part of its expansion, Cellva is strengthening its footprint in Northern Brazil with the implementation of a semi-industrial R&D and processing center in the Amazon capital, Manaus. The facility will support spray-drying capabilities and reinforce the company’s integration between biodiversity, science, and production scale outside traditional industrial hubs.
The company’s operational trajectory reflects this transition. In 2024, production occurred at gram-scale pilot batches. By 2026, Cellva projects processing approximately 2.000 metric tons of raw material to manufacture fi nished products, consolidating its move into structured industrial execution.
Amid global cocoa supply instability and increasing demand for clean-label, performance-driven ingredients, Cellva positions itself not simply as an alternative ingredient supplier, but as a reliable scalable biotechnology platform redefining how agricultural value chains translate into resilient food manufacturing systems.
About Cellva
Cellva is a Brazil-based biotech company redefining food innovation through advanced microencapsulation and novel ingredient development. The company develops scalable technologies that enhance nutritional delivery, reduce formulation challenges, and unlock new value for the food industry. Its innovations include patented coffee-based cocoa alternatives and Amazon-derived bioactives, designed to meet growing global demand for sustainable and high-performance ingredients.
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