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Helsieni
Growing mushrooms locally from recycled coffee
- Foodtech
- Seed
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Revenue size
€ 150,000
Year founded
2016
Funding raised
€ 30,000
Founders
Chris Holtslag, Stéphane Poirié
Most relevant investors
Team size
5-10
Problem
Food needs to be produced more sustainably. Conventional food production usually relies on a linear approach, generating unnecessary levels of waste. Customers are often aware of these issues but feel unable to make a difference.
SOLUTION
Helsieni has developed a growing kit that can produce mushrooms from coffee waste. The kit includes a growing box, breathable tape and some spawn. This mushroom is suitable to grow indoors and converts coffee grounds into tasty oyster mushrooms! The Helsieni solution is circular economy in its purest form.
KEY CUSTOMERS AND INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE
High-end restaurants and chefs in Helsinki, sensitive to sustainability issues, including Savoy, Baskeri, Nolla, Kuurna, and Muji restaurants. Resellers in Finland like Ruohonjuuri for our consumer products. A Japanese webstore will soon be launched.
Team
Helsieni staff consists of 3 full-time people: Chris (CEO, industrial designer), Stephane (CTO & Co-founder, electrical engineer), Benoit (Sales director & business development, M Sc. Economics and business administration), and 2 part-time workers (marketing/communication, production). Additionally, 2 Japanese people are working specifically on the Helsinkinoko project.
Unique selling point
We combine a B2B activity with a B2C product, both inspired by a circular economy perspective.
Asia Connection
Helsieni is expanding to Japan with the project Helsinkinoko, after winning an award at a Japanese pitch competition at SLUSH. Helsieni launched a landing page in 2023, and will establish a separate company in 2024. Link to the Helsinkinoko project: ヘルシンキノコ - Helsieni (https://www.helsieni.fi/en/helsinkinoko/)
Pitch
