What Xampla does

Xampla is a Cambridge-based materials innovation company that develops plant-based, fully biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastics and PFAS coatings. Founded in 2018 as a spin-out of the University of Cambridge, the company commercializes 15 years of research led by Professor Tuomas Knowles and Dr Marc Rodriguez Garcia into the natural self-assembly of plant proteins (sourced from peas, potatoes, rapeseed and waste streams) into high-performance materials without chemical modification. The Morro™ Materials platform comprises five product lines: Morro Coating (a world-first plastic-free, PFAS-free barrier coating for paper packaging), Morro Edible Film (dissolvable packaging for food sachets and stock cubes), Morro Soluble Film (a plant-based alternative to PVOH for homecare and personal care), Morro Micro (biodegradable microcapsules for encapsulating fragrances, probiotics and active ingredients), and a standalone Nutrient Microencapsulation technology offering enteric-release protection of vitamins and nutrients in food and beverage applications. The company is the first UK university spin-out to achieve B Corp certification and holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications.

Xampla operates a hybrid B2B revenue model combining technology licensing royalties with direct commercial supply agreements. Its primary licensee, 2M Group of Companies, manufactures Morro materials at scale at its Milton Keynes facility and distributes to over 90 countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia; flagship supply agreements with Huhtamaki (with exclusivity on fluted corrugate food-service containers) and Transcend Packaging extend reach into UK QSR and foodservice converters. End-customers span Just Eat Takeaway.com (10 European markets), Britvic (nutrient encapsulation at full-scale), Gousto (world-first edible stock-cube wrapper), Yili (dairy fortification pilot) and ELEMIS (personal-care sachets), with the go-to-market driven through enterprise field sales plus a dedicated Business Development & Sales Lead function.

In September 2025, Xampla closed a $14 million Series A led by Emerald Technology Ventures with participation from BGF and Matterwave Ventures, bringing total disclosed funding to approximately $39 million across rounds since 2020. The company has 11-50 employees and is headquartered at the BioInnovation Centre, Cambridge Science Park, with a stated five-year goal of displacing over 10 billion units of single-use plastic and scaling production toward 25,000 tonnes of plastic coating displacement through its 2M Group partnership.

Name

Xampla

Legal name

XAMPLA LIMITED

Website

https://xampla.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xampla develops plant-based, fully biodegradable materials as drop-in replacements for single-use plastics and PFAS coatings. The Cambridge spin-out licenses its Morro™ platform to manufacturers and sells directly to foodservice, FMCG, dairy, and personal care brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable bioplastic materials

NAICS

Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Food Manufacturing (311), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Compostable & Bio-Based Packaging (PLA/PHA, Starch Blends, Cellulose Films) (IMALAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mono-Material & Recyclability-Designed Packaging (Design-for-Recycling, Barrier Alternatives) (IMALAMAD), Hydrocolloid Stabilizers (Xanthan, Guar, Locust Bean, Carrageenan, Alginate, Pectin, Cellulose) (AFAJACAF)

Keywords

• Biodegradable packaging materials
• Plant-based coatings
• Edible packaging films
• Microencapsulation technology
• Sustainable barrier coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Xampla licenses its patented Morro technology to manufacturing partners who produce and distribute the materials at scale. Licensing covers different industries, geographies, and markets. Partners include 2M Group of Companies as the primary licence partner manufacturing Morro Coating.
2. Direct Product Sales: Direct commercial sales of Morro materials to brands and packaging manufacturers, including supply agreements with Transcend Packaging and Huhtamaki for Morro Coating applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Xampla develops and licenses patented plant-protein materials branded as Morro, offering plastic-free, fully biodegradable and home-compostable coatings, edible films, soluble films, and microcapsules. Products are sold and licensed to global manufacturers and brand owners in foodservice, FMCG, homecare, and personal care as drop-in replacements for single-use plastics, PVOH, PFAS coatings, and plastic microcapsules. Revenue is generated through technology licensing to manufacturing partners (notably 2M Group of Companies) and direct multi-year supply agreements with brand owners and packaging converters.

Product overview

Xampla is a materials innovation company offering a platform technology built around its Morro™ Materials brand — a suite of plastic-free, biodegradable materials derived from natural plant polymers (primarily plant proteins from peas, potatoes, and rapeseed). The product portfolio consists of five Morro sub-brands: Morro Coating (a world-first plastic-free barrier coating for paper packaging), Morro Edible Film (dissolvable edible packaging for food sachets), Morro Soluble Film (a plastic-free alternative to PVOH for homecare and personal care), and Morro Micro (plastic-free microcapsules for encapsulating fragrances and active ingredients). These are complemented by a separate Nutrient Microencapsulation platform technology that protects vitamins and nutrients in fortified food and beverages through enteric-release microcapsules. All Morro products are developed as drop-in solutions compatible with existing manufacturing equipment, marketed through a licensing business model with manufacturing partners such as 2M Group of Companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Morro: World-first natural materials brand offering plastic-free, fully biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastics, including Morro Coating, Morro Edible Film, Morro Soluble Film, and Morro Micro.

Products and services

• Morro Coating World-first plastic-free, PFAS-free barrier coating for paper packaging, made from plant protein with no chemical modification. Delivers grease, water, and oxygen barrier performance comparable to conventional plastic coatings. Heat sealable, home compostable, and compatible with standard paper recycling processes. Independently validated as plastic-free by the National Physical Laboratory and certified 87/100 recyclability score (DS Smith/4evergreen) with a Best in Class yield of 92/100.
• Morro Edible Film Plant-based edible packaging film that dissolves in hot or cold water with no impact on flavour. Heat sealable, vegan, gluten-free, and designed to replace single-use sachets for food products such as stock cubes, seasonings, and ambient food packaging.
• Morro Soluble Film Natural plastic-free alternative to PVOH (polyvinyl alcohol) soluble films, made from plant proteins. Protects products in transit and storage and dissolves in hot or cold water after use. Compatible with standard flow-wrap machinery for laundry pods, dishwasher tablets, and personal care sachets.
• Morro Micro Plastic-free microcapsules made from plant proteins that encapsulate active ingredients (fragrances, probiotics, active ingredients) in personal care, homecare, and agricultural products. Fully biodegradable in all environments including marine and freshwater. ECHA-compliant replacement for plastic microcapsules in detergents and cosmetics.
• Nutrient Microencapsulation Platform technology for protecting vitamins, nutrients, probiotics, and other active ingredients in food and beverage products using plant-protein microcapsules with an enteric release profile that improves bioavailability by releasing in the intestine. Vegan and gluten-free, with validated compatibility with pasteurisation, high-pressure processing, and homogenisation.
• Morro Materials Overarching brand portfolio of high-performing, plastic-free, fully biodegradable and home compostable materials made from natural plant polymers extracted from plants, designed to replace the most polluting single-use plastics. Spans coating, edible film, soluble film, and microcapsule form factors from a single plant-protein platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87/100 recyclability score validated by DS Smith and 4evergreen; Best in Class yield score of 92/100 for Morro Coating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• 2M Group of CompaniescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPrimary licence partner for manufacturing and distribution of Morro materials. 2M manufactures multiple tonnes at its Milton Keynes site and distributes globally to over 90 countries. Partnership has potential to replace up to 25,000 tonnes of single-use plastic coating over 5 years. 2M Group was awarded an Innovate UK SMART grant together with Xampla to scale-up manufacture, supply and distribution of Morro Coating.
• HuhtamakiflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst ever multi-year supply deal for deployment of Xampla's plastic-free Morro Coating polymer in selected foodservice on-the-go applications. Huhtamaki has exclusivity on use of the coating in food service containers made from fluted corrugate board. Huhtamaki's UK manufacturing facilities supply QSR, specialty coffee and catering brands.
• Transcend PackagingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-year commercial supply agreement to deploy Morro Coating on selected paperboard applications for QSR utilisation. Manufactured at scale at 2M Group's Milton Keynes facility and supplied under 2M's Sustainable Packaging Technologies business venture.
• BritviccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation partnership validating nutrient microencapsulation at scale for Vitamin D in soft drinks. Xampla's technology was validated for shelf-life stability across multiple formulations at full-scale production level, fitting perfectly with Britvic's manufacturing process as a drop-in solution.
• Yili Innovation Centre EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot collaboration to test and validate Xampla's natural polymer microcapsules for fortifying vitamins and nutrients in dairy products. Yili is Asia's largest and fastest-growing dairy company, ranked in the top five global dairy brands. This collaboration accelerates deployment of Xampla's technology to global markets.
• GoustocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create the world's first edible stock-cube wrapper made from plant protein. Morro Edible Film replaced plastic packaging with a zero-waste solution that sold out within an hour of going on sale, with potential to replace 15.6 tonnes of plastic annually.
• ELEMISminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop plastic-free biodegradable sample sachets using leftover plant waste from ELEMIS product ingredients turned into biofilm. Project supported by a grant co-funded by BBSRC, EPSRC, and Innovate UK.
• Quadram Institute BioscienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovate UK and BBSRC grant-funded collaboration to advance probiotic microencapsulation technology for improving gut health. Professor Arjan Narbad's translational microbiome research group brings expertise in studying the microbial ecology of the gut and its microbiome.
• Just Eat Takeaway.comflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust Eat launched recyclable, plastic-free takeaway boxes featuring Xampla's Morro plant-based coating across 10 European markets. Partnership leverages Huhtamaki's packaging manufacturing expertise and Xampla's bio-based polymer technology to scale the sustainable solution across multiple delivery markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Notpla: UK-based direct competitor developing seaweed-based, plastic-free packaging including edible films and soluble coatings for foodservice and FMCG applications, overlapping directly with Xampla's Morro Edible Film and Morro Coating propositions.
• Tipa: Israel-based developer of compostable, bio-based films and laminates for flexible packaging and QSR applications, competing directly with Morro Coating in the paper barrier coating space.
• Loliware: US-based producer of seaweed-derived bioplastic packaging, including soluble films and edible materials, overlapping with Xampla's edible and soluble film offerings in foodservice and personal care.
• Sway (Sway Packaging Co.): California-based startup developing seaweed-based flexible packaging films as a home-compostable alternative to plastic, directly competing with Xampla's bio-based film technology for FMCG and personal care applications.
• Lactips: French producer of bio-based, water-soluble and biodegradable plastic pellets and films made from milk protein, overlapping with Xampla's protein-based Morro Soluble Film and edible/soluble packaging applications.

Emerging players

• Cruz Foam: US-based company making chitosan-based, home-compostable protective packaging and cold-chain solutions, an emerging alternative in the broader sustainable packaging category where Xampla competes.
• Aqua-Pak: UK-based manufacturer of PVOH and other water-soluble films for detergents, agrochemicals and personal care — a partial competitor in the soluble film space where Xampla positions Morro Soluble Film as a plant-protein alternative to PVOH.
• Spiber: Japan-based producer of Brewed Protein materials via fermentation, applying protein-based polymers to apparel, automotive and packaging applications — a thematic comparable to Xampla's plant-protein materials platform with broader end-markets.

Broad incumbents

• Huhtamaki: Global foodservice packaging incumbent that is both Xampla's flagship commercialisation partner (multi-year Morro Coating supply deal) and a broader portfolio player offering paperboard, flexible and moulded fibre packaging solutions.
• Sealed Air: Global packaging incumbent with food and protective packaging portfolios, including sustainability-focused product lines, operating in many of the same foodservice and FMCG channels where Xampla's Morro Coating is deployed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xampla
• Facebookfacebook.com/xampla1

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xampla