Revol Greens' 'painful decision,' $35m for virtual fencing, $78m for regen ag, big Euro fundings, egg protein IP fight escalates

The big news this week: High-tech greenhouse operator Revol Greens made the “painful” decision to shutter operations in California and focus on its sites in Texas, Georgia, and Minnesota.

We also saw big European funding rounds for virtual fencing co NoFence, manufacturing software co BRAINR, and bio-products specialist Bioweg, while Mad Capital closed a $78m fund for regen ag.

Elsewhere, California Cultured broke new ground with a plant cell culture industry first, while VTT challenged a key patent from The Every Company.

Finally, ahead of World Agri-Tech and Future Food-Tech in London next week, Bramble’s Chris Mitchell shared his vision for the future of UK health and agrifood.

We hope to see you in London! Louisa, Elaine, and Jenn

And thanks to this week's sponsor, who will also be in London next week:

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Revol Greens makes ‘painful’ decision to close operations in California, chase efficiency gains in Texas

The site will close in November, says Dutch greenhouse operator FoodVentures, which was brought in by Equilibrium Capital in 2024 to help turn things around. Elaine Watson

Genomines raises $45m Series A to mine battery-grade nickel from genetically enhanced plants

The company is exploring proof-of-concept projects with Hyundai Motor Group, Jaguar Land Rover, and battery manufacturers. Jennifer Marston

NoFence plots US, European expansion for virtual fencing following oversubscribed $35m Series B

NoFence hopes to enable more farmers and ranchers to adopt rotational grazing practices through the virtual fencing solution. Jennifer Marston

Mad Capital closes $78m oversubscribed fund to bridge gap between Wall St and regen ag

“We are aiming to build a bridge between two distant worlds that need one another to transition our food system – Wall Street and organic farmers,” says Brandon Welch. Jennifer Marston

Bioweg lands $19m to replace microplastics with bio-based alternatives in everyday items

The company will build an industrial-scale facility in Germany to step up production of its bacterial cellulose ingredients. Jennifer Marston

Egg protein IP fight escalates as VTT challenges Every Co patent in Europe

VTT's challenge at the European Patent Office was lodged as its spinoff company Onego Bio filed a lawsuit against The Every Co in the US. Elaine Watson

California Cultured breaks new ground with patent on cocoa butter via plant cell culture

"Every group working in cocoa cell culture has relied on callus cells.," says the startup. "But while they can make excellent cocoa powder, they don’t produce fat. And without fat, you can’t replicate the melting properties that make real chocolate.” Elaine Watson

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Terra Oleo emerges from stealth with fermentation platform to make high value fats with microbes

Pressure on palm oil and cocoa supply chains are driving up costs and supply volatility, prompting growing interest in alternatives, says the firm. Elaine Watson

Armed with $13m in seed funding, BRAINR ramps up plans to digitize food manufacturing

"Our mission is clear: to build the digital brain for every food factory," says BRAINR cofounder and CEO Paulo Gaspar. Elaine Watson

CoryPro Ingredients signs deal with Polymerals to establish guar protein facility in Mexico

While food companies have been pitched every kind of protein under the sun in recent years, guar protein can deliver a clean-tasting option at a more affordable and consistent price, claims CoryPro. Elaine Watson

ORF Genetics scales growth factor production for cultivated meat: ‘The question is not if this market will grow, but when'

ORF Genetics—a molecular farming company pioneering the production of growth factors in barley—has raised €5m ($5.9m) to scale production. Elaine Watson

Global Methane Hub project leverages satellite tech to reduce methane emissions in Latam and Africa

The Time2Graze project will develop tools that can interface with satellite-based systems to help farmers effectively graze their cattle. John Njiraini

Molecular farming startup Finally Foods raises $1.2m, strikes deal with CBC Group

“This is an additional step in proving that molecular farming is a real production alternative to animal-based proteins," says Finally Foods investor Evogene. Elaine Watson

The Week in AgriFoodTech: European agrifood funding bonanza; conservation projects from Danone, McDonald’s; Corteva breakup hints

Plus: Deliveroo founder steps down, Swiggy launches budget app. Jennifer Marston

Real agtech innovation means 'providing a final product farmers actually want,' says Kubota manager

Startup partnerships are central to equipment manufacturer Kubota's "open innovation" framework, says Daria Batukhtina. Jennifer Marston

Bramble’s Chris Mitchell shares a vision for the future of UK health and agrifood

“I can’t remember a time when so many different topics seemed to be converging at the same time," says Mitchell. Jennifer Marston

‘Objectively unreasonable’: Onego Bio slams The Every Co in high-stakes patent fight

According to Onego Bio, “Every’s demands for resolution have been objectively unreasonable and have included a proposed merger with Onego at a severe devaluation." Elaine Watson

🎥‘Like a Roomba for vineyards…’ Bien Nacido puts Saga Robotics’ UV-C robots to the test

Vintners such as Bien Nacido currently fight powdery mildew with fungicides. But what if you could tackle the problem with light? Elaine Watson

Edacious and Regenerative Organic Alliance launch project showcasing the nutritional value of regen ag

ROA and Edacious will test more than 200 products to drive further awareness of the health benefits of regenerative-organic certified products. Jennifer Marston