Swiss food technology company Planetary has developed mycelial protein fermentation technology, achieving industrial-scale biomass fermentation production capacity | Top 100 Swiss Innovators

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Swiss food technology company Planetary was founded in 2021. The company is committed to researching and developing mycelial protein fermentation technology, providing industrial-scale biomass fermentation production capacity support for enterprises engaged in precision microbial production and mycelial biomass fermentation, as well as mycelial protein raw material products.

Planetary was co-founded by Marison Ian and David Brandes. Marison Ian is the company's Chief Science Officer, with over 40 years of academic and industrial experience in the field of industrial fermentation. David Brandes is the company's Executive Officer and the co-founder and co-CEO of Peace of Meat.

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Animal-derived meat and dairy products generate over 20% of the world's greenhouse gases and consume over 30% of the world's water resources and over 70% of farmland resources. Using fermentation-derived proteins is a better alternative, as it requires less water and land resources and produces lower greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, fermented proteins have product diversity and are expected to achieve large-scale production of various proteins based on local raw materials. However, the lack of industrial-scale facilities and production capacity is the main bottleneck in the current development of biomass fermentation.

Image source: Planetary

Planetary provides industrial-scale upstream and downstream manufacturing services for leading enterprises in the fields of biomass fermentation and precision fermentation. At the same time, it sells mycelial protein in the form of B2B raw materials for the production of meat and dairy product substitutes, effectively solving the bottleneck problem of insufficient production capacity in the fermentation industry.

Mycelial protein is a whole food ingredient derived from the roots (mycelium) of filamentous fungi and made through fermentation. It is naturally rich in protein, fiber, and fat, has no unpleasant odor, requires fewer spices and masking agents, and can be used to produce sustainable meat and dairy product substitutes. Its production involves placing fungi in a warm environment with food (sugar) and air. The fungi will convert sugar into mycelial biomass rich in protein and fiber, which can be harvested after a short fermentation period and used directly in various food applications without further processing.

Planetary offers CDMO services. The company has its proprietary BioBlocks™ fermentation technology and an AI platform capable of high-throughput screening and real-time monitoring of fungal strains and fermentation conditions, enabling large-scale production of affordable mycelial protein. Its fermentation process is simple, without protein extraction, spray drying, or extrusion processes. The mycelial protein it produces has a PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) of 0.996, and the finished product has a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score of 1. Each kilogram of the finished product generates only 0.79 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent, far lower than other similar products. The final products it can be used for include milk, steaks, cold cuts, hamburgers, and chicken breasts. Planetary helps bio-based product enterprises achieve commercial-scale production with optimal cost and sustainability by licensing fermentation technology to partners, customizing production lines, and developing processes.

Planetary's first industrial-scale fungal protein production base has been established in Arberg, Switzerland, which is currently the only industrial fungal protein fermentation base on the European continent.

Planetary also provides high-quality, animal-free mycelial protein raw materials and final products. In July 2025, Swiss retail discount store Aldi Switzerland began selling new vegetarian chicken strips made from mycelial protein fermented by Planetary, covering 242 branch stores in Switzerland. The protein raw materials and final products provided by Planetary are allergen-free and more price-competitive than beef, chicken, and other plant-based protein raw materials and products.

In April 2022, Planetary completed a seed round of financing of 7.5 million Swiss francs, led by agri-food technology investor Astanor Ventures, with participation from XAnge, Blue Horizon, Nucleus Capital, etc. The funds were used to initiate the engineering construction of the company's flagship production base in Switzerland. In January 2025, a Dutch agricultural cooperative completed an investment of 3 million Swiss francs in Planetary. The two parties will jointly explore the commercialization path of mycelial protein and new application fields of biomass-based foods. In the future, Planetary plans to build, own, and operate a biomass fermentation production capacity network globally to break through the industry's production capacity bottleneck.

Planetary is one of the companies on the "TOP 100 Swiss Startups" list in 2025. The "TOP 100 Swiss Startups" list brings together the best Swiss startups and growing technology innovation companies and is the most internationally influential benchmark list in the field of Swiss technology innovation. Since 2011, the list has selected 100 of the most innovative and market - promising Swiss innovation companies and 25 Swiss growing companies with the greatest unicorn potential across Switzerland each year, covering fields such as life sciences, engineering machinery, robotics, information and communication, low - carbon technology, and food technology. The "TOP 100 Swiss Startups" and related brand activities are iconic events in the Swiss innovation ecosystem, representing the highest level of Swiss innovation and the forefront of international investment and financing.

The Chinese version of the "TOP 100 Swiss Startups" in 2025 was honorably released by Insight Tech. Insight Tech is the Chinese authorized partner of the "TOP 100 Swiss Startups", responsible for the operation and promotion of the list in China and assisting the list projects in business cooperation with China. Insight Tech is a service provider for China - Europe (Switzerland) industrial innovation cooperation, committed to promoting the localization of Swiss innovation in China and the internationalization of Chinese industries through innovation accelerators, equity investment, and business consulting services.

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