Nosh.bio skipped EU novel-food review with Koji, betting flexitarians eat blended meat

A Berlin foodtech startup selling Koji-fermented protein ingredients business-to-business to food manufacturers for hybrid meat products.

Tim Fronzek, co-founder of reBuy.com, left after realising he was an entrepreneur rather than a manager and spent a year off asking where he could have the biggest impact. He and Brazilian microbiologist Felipe Lino co-founded Nosh.bio in early 2022, after nearly a year of interviews with more than 100 experts — scientists, corporates, startups, investors and consumers.

It chose hybrid products blending meat and alternative protein rather than plant-based end products, and B2B ingredients rather than a consumer brand — 'building a consumer brand requires total attention and cash, and so does developing deep tech', Fronzek told Tech.eu. The non-novel-food strain choice meant no patents on the organism, which put off some investors ('fortunately, in the end, we found the right backers who valued speed to market'). Scaling runs two ways: a contract manufacturer producing up to 10 tons a week, plus a retrofitted decommissioned brewery; the contract manufacturer and largest customer are also shareholders.

Market research with 100+ experts showed most households won't pay a premium or sacrifice taste, so affordable blended formats beat premium plant-based products.

Nine major European supermarket chains have pledged a 50:50 plant-to-animal protein ratio by 2030, creating demand for realistic blended formats.

'Food startups can't disrupt without working with established players' — they control distribution, regulation and consumer trust, Fronzek argued.

A cited life-cycle analysis found the protein uses 99% less land and water than beef protein and produces 90% less CO2, aligning the product with climate goals.

Regulatory strategy can be a startup's fastest route to market: picking an ingredient the regulator already knows buys years that a patent cannot.

As of 17 September 2025 the hybrid mince had debuted publicly in a Berlin cafeteria and the company was preparing retail launches in Germany with Europe's biggest meat producer, plus expansion into co-branded retail products and food-service partnerships. Production capacity sat at up to 10 tons a week through a contract manufacturer, with a decommissioned brewery being retrofitted for its own production. All commercial figures were self-reported by the company.