Denmark’s REDUCED bags €6M to convert food and agriculture side streams into natural ingredients

Copenhagen-based REDUCED, a company specialising in converting food and agriculture side streams into natural food ingredients through fermentation has secured €6M in funding.

The investment came from a range of investors, including new investment from Novo Holdings and the Nordic flavour house Einar Willumsen, as well as existing investors Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) and Rockstart Agrifood.

Mark Durno, Managing Partner AgriFood Rockstart, says, “We are delighted to make our fourth investment in REDUCED. As an early-stage investor, Rockstart’s additionally is investing in impactful early-stage agrifood tech startup teams when others may hesitate to take the risk.”

“REDUCED is a perfect example of why we do it—Emil, William, and their team are pioneering healthier and more sustainable ways of deriving flavors and ingredients. We’re proud to continue supporting them on their journey.”

An innovative food production company

Founded in 2020 by William Anton Lauf Olsen and Emil Munck de Voss, REDUCED uses fermentation technology to convert food and agriculture industry side streams into natural food ingredients.

The company’s proprietary processes extract “unique” umami flavors at a lower cost and with reduced CO2 impact.

REDUCED offers various products including organic chicken stock concentrates sourced from retired laying hens, along with vegetable stock concentrates made from produce deemed unfit for supermarket shelves due to appearance or size standards. 

The company also produce fermented umami sauces that enhance food flavor profiles. Currently, REDUCED supplies over 100 food service businesses and partners with top food ingredient suppliers to distribute ingredients to manufacturers.

Capital utilisation

REDUCED will use the funds to advance its technology platform, expand its range of savoury ingredients, secure production capabilities, obtain certifications and enhance sales and marketing initiatives.

Co-founder Emil Munck de Voss, says, “This investment will be transformative for the company as we expand and extend the range of products we can offer, drawing on our gastronomic heritage to create unique flavors.”

“Not only will this bring great new products to the market, but it will also help to reduce CO2 emissions and make the most of the side streams available in the food production chain. We are ready to continue the work we have started and accelerate the impact we can make on the food industry.”

Brief about the investors supporting REDUCED

Novo Holdings, owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, functions as a holding and investment company tasked with managing assets to improve public health and sustainability while generating long-term returns. 

As the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novonesis A/S (Novozymes A/S), it operates an investment portfolio with a focus on sustainable, long-term growth. The firm manages €149B in total assets and invests across all stages of development in life science companies.

Einar Willumsen, with over 123 years of experience, is a Nordic flavor house known for its taste solutions across industries like beverages, dairy, confectionery, and bakery. It offers expertise in flavor creation, application technology, distillation, bio solutions, and extraction technology, alongside regulatory and compliance assistance.

Rockstart is an early-stage investor focusing on purpose-driven founders in Energy, AgriFood, and Emerging Technologies domains. It invests in startups from each sector and offers access to capital, markets, and expertise through connections to co-investors, mentors, partners, corporates, and their extensive network.

Rockstart has invested in 350+ startups, with an alumni value surpassing €1.6B. The company’s notable exits include Wercker, Dan.com, Hubs.Com, Bouw7, iClinic, and Brincr.