All Access

Climate Deals

Standard

Climate Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Climate Deals Alerts

Alert

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Climate Deals

BFD Expert Voices

Project Eaden has closed a €15 million Series A to weave plant fibers into ham and other meats, the company tells Axios.

Why it matters: The German startup says its fiber-spinning process, borrowed from the textile industry, produces more realistic "meat."

Driving the news: Venture capital firm Planet A and German retail giant Rewe Group led Project Eaden's all-equity raise.

Christoph Gras, general partner at Planet A, and Clement Tischer, head of foodtech at Rewe Ventures, will join Project Eaden's board, bringing the total board members to five. 

The German government's DeepTech & Climate Fonds, Happiness Capital, AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance, and existing investors Creandum and FoodLabs participated in the round.

How it works: Project Eaden spins muscle fibers and tissues from wheat, pea and fava bean proteins. 

That's different from most plant-based meats, which are extruded or emulsified in processes that tend to produce spongy textures.

The idea is to "build meat from the fiber up," cofounder Jan Wilmking says. "The result is a very realistic look and feel."

The intrigue: The approach has gained traction. Simulate, a Manhattan-based startup that used fiber-spinning to make plant-based chicken nuggets, was acquired last fall by Ahimsa.

The latest: Project Eaden is starting with ham, which it expects to begin selling in Rewe supermarkets by early summer.

"Good plant based hams are hard to make, and they are an everyday product for many consumers," Wilmking says.

The startup has completed testing with "hundreds of consumers" at events and in dedicated tests, he tells Axios.

Follow the money: Project Eaden previously raised €12 million, including a €10 million seed round in 2022 led by Creandum.

Exclusive: Project Eaden raises €15M for plant-based ham

Production was inspired by the textiles industry.

A photo of plant-based ham produced by Project Eaden, sitting on a wooden cutting board against a light background.

Project Eaden is first focusing on plant-based ham. Photo: Courtesy of Project Eaden

Project Eaden has closed a €15 million Series A to weave plant fibers into ham and other meats, the company tells Axios.Why it matters: The German startup says its fiber-spinning process, borrowed from the textile industry, produces more realistic &quot;meat.&quot;

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

c-suite

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

boulder

detroit

kansas-city

columbus

austin

dallas

atlanta

washington-dc

nw-arkansas

chicago

indianapolis

nashville

richmond

colorado-springs

houston

san-francisco

seattle

boston

des-moines

salt-lake-city

philadelphia

denver

phoenix

new-orleans

miami

twin-cities

raleigh

san-antonio

portland

san-diego

tampa-bay

cleveland

huntsville

pittsburgh

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Exclusive: Project Eaden raises €15M for plant-based ham

What to read next