What the business is
A French foodtech producing plant-based meat alternatives via a proprietary texturising process, sold as upmarket fillets.
Starting capital
€32.5 million top-up brought the Series A to €59 million and total raised to over €100 million; led by SPI fund and French Tech Seed with Astanor, Redalpine, Newfund and VERSO Capital.
How it started
Co-founders Tristan Maurel (CEO) and Martin Habfast (Export Director) built Umiami around its unique 'umisation' texturising technology, aiming to revolutionise the food industry with sustainable, tasty alternatives to meat-based products — whole cuts rather than processed mince.
What happened
The company launched a new factory in Alsace, supported by the French government's France 2030 plan, where its plant-based fillets contain under 10 ingredients and no texturising agents or controversial additives. Each production line has a capacity of 7,500 tons, with output planned to grow to 20,000 tons over time. The new capital also funds expansion into the US, with John Hatto joining as Managing Director for North America.
How it ended up
In October 2023 Umiami raised an additional €32.5 million — led by the SPI fund and French Tech Seed, both managed by Bpifrance for the French government, with Astanor Ventures, Redalpine, Newfund and VERSO Capital participating — bringing the Series A to €59 million and total funding past €100 million.
What has to be true
Plant-based buyers were walking away from long ingredient lists, so a clean-label whole cut hit the market's actual complaint.
Owning a proprietary texturising process made Umiami a technology supplier, not just another CPG brand.
Government-backed capital (France 2030, SPI) matched the factory-building capital intensity other investors avoid.
The US market offered the scale a 20,000-ton output plan needs.
What can be applied
In plant-based meat, the differentiator that raises nine figures is texture with a clean label — industrial process ownership beats another reformulated mince.
Aftermath
As of the October 2023 announcement, Umiami was ramping the Alsace factory toward 20,000 tons of output, hiring for North America, and pushing umisation into European markets with more than €100 million raised.
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