Valais-based start-up ProSeed, winner of the Coup de Coeur 2022 at the Prix Créateurs BCVs, has been granted a CHF 100,000 FoodTech loan from the Foundation for Technological Innovation (FIT).

Founded with a vision to reduce food waste and enhance sustainability in the Swiss food sector, Valais-based start-up ProSeed specializes in upcycling malted barley waste from breweries. Annually, Switzerland discards over 80,000 tons of brewery malt barley, a resource still rich in proteins. ProSeed harnesses this underutilized potential to create nutritious, protein-rich, and low-carbohydrate ingredients, responding to the demand for domestic and sustainable raw materials in the food industry.

ProSeed’s approach is not only environmentally conscious but also economically viable. It offers breweries an effortless way to convert their residual grains into food-grade barley flakes, thereby generating additional revenue and significantly reducing waste. The process involves installing processing units at breweries to convert the residual grain into barley flakes, which are then supplied to a network of ingredient manufacturers. This circular model is underpinned by a patented three-step process and has already gained traction with the successful sale of over 8,500 barley flake-based protein flour baguettes in collaboration with a major bakery.