What Arda Biomaterials does

Arda Biomaterials is a London-based biotech company founded in 2022 that develops plant protein-based materials from brewery and distillery spent grain. Its core platform extracts proteins from waste feedstock, denatures them through heat treatment, reassembles them into nanofibrils, and crosslinks the fibrils into performance materials that mimic animal collagen structures. The flagship product, New Grain™, is a 100% plastic-, animal-, and rubber-free leather alternative with tensile strength above 10 MPa, Grade 4–5 colourfastness, and 50,000+ dry abrasion cycles, customizable in colour, texture (0.8–1.5 mm), and finish for use in fashion, footwear, automotive, and interiors. A second product line extends the same protein platform into beauty ingredients — peptides and lipids for cosmetics and personal care brands.

The business model combines project-based custom development, long-term commercial supply agreements, and recurring ingredient sales, with no minimum order quantity to facilitate sampling and prototyping. Pricing is volume- and partnership-dependent, designed to reach price parity with animal and polyurethane leathers at scale. Arda pursues enterprise sales through direct brand partnerships and accelerator channels — most prominently AB InBev's 100+ Accelerator and Diageo's Fusion Alterra — and has produced co-branded commercial proof points including BEEN London's Millais bag (2024) and Calvert XL tote (2025), Stella Artois tennis racket sleeves (2025), and Budweiser cardholders (2025).

The company has raised approximately $6.6M in cumulative funding (£1.1M seed in 2023 led by Clean Growth Fund, plus a $5.25M seed in 2025 led by Oyster Bay Venture Capital) and is investing the 2025 round in a production facility five times larger than its existing London footprint. Customers include fashion, automotive, footwear, interiors, and beauty verticals, but most disclosed activity to date is limited-edition collaborations rather than disclosed recurring supply.

Name

Arda Biomaterials

Legal name

Arda Biomaterials

Website

https://arda.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arda Biomaterials is a London-based biotech founded in 2022 that converts brewery and distillery spent grain into a plastic-free leather alternative called New Grain™, and peptides and lipids for beauty brands, serving fashion, footwear, automotive, interiors, and cosmetics customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomaterials / Sustainable Leather Alternatives

NAICS

Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass Pellets, Briquettes & Solid Bioenergy Products (industrial/residential) (IMAMALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enzymes & Processing Aids (Baking, Brewing, Dairy, Meat) (CRADAOAH), Beverage & Juice Processing Enzymes (AFAJAIAC)

Keywords

• Biomaterials manufacturing
• Leather alternative materials
• Plant protein materials
• Spent grain upcycling
• Sustainable material production

Headquarters

HQ city

Southwark

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, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. New Grain™ material sales: Sale of New Grain™ leather alternative material to brands and manufacturers for use in fashion, footwear, automotive, and interiors products. Pricing depends on volume with no MOQ required.
2. Custom development projects: Joint development projects with brands to create custom products using New Grain™ material. These are project-based engagements for limited edition collections.
3. Commercial supply agreements: Long-term commercial collaborations for ongoing supply of New Grain™ material at scale.
4. Beauty ingredients (Peptides and lipids): Peptides and lipids derived from upcycled grain for beauty and cosmetics brands seeking high-performance ingredients with circular provenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arda Biomaterials extracts plant proteins from brewery and distillery spent grain and processes them into New Grain™, a 100% plastic-free, animal-free, and rubber-free leather alternative material customisable in colour, texture, and thickness. The company also produces peptides and lipids derived from upcycled grain for use in beauty and personal care applications. Customers are fashion, footwear, automotive, interiors, and beverage brands engaging in joint development, limited editions, and commercial supply.

Product overview

Arda Biomaterials operates two distinct product lines: (1) New Grain™ — their primary material product, a plastic-free leather alternative made from plant proteins extracted from brewery and distillery spent grain, targeting fashion, automotive, interiors, and other industries; and (2) Peptides and Lipids — a beauty ingredients line derived from upcycled grain byproducts for cosmetics and personal care applications. Both product lines are underpinned by the company's core protein technology platform that transforms agricultural waste into high-performance, plastic-free polymers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• New Grain™: 100% plastic-, animal-, and rubber-free leather alternative made from grain proteins, designed for fashion, automotive, interiors and more. Fully customisable in colour, texture and thickness.
• Beauty

Products and services

• New Grain™ A plastic-free, animal-free, and rubber-free leather alternative material made from plant proteins extracted from brewery and distillery spent grain. Tensile strength >10 MPa (ISO 3376), Grade 4-5 colourfastness to rubbing (ISO 11640), 50,000+ dry abrasion cycles (ISO 12947). Thickness 0.8–1.5 mm, customisable in colour, texture, and pigment. Compatible with roll-to-roll manufacturing, laser engraving, embossing, and foiling. ZDHC compliant ingredients. Designed for fashion, footwear, automotive, and interiors brands.
• Peptides and Lipids (Beauty Line) Peptides and lipids derived from upcycled grain byproducts for use in beauty and personal care products. Marketed to brands seeking high-performance ingredients with circular provenance, replacing animal-derived proteins and synthetic additives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon footprint under 2 kgCO₂e per m² (preliminary LCA with TENCEL/cotton backing)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AB InBev (100+ Accelerator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's largest brewing group; Arda joined AB InBev's 100+ Accelerator programme, gaining access to spent grain from global brands and commercial partnership opportunities. Collaboration includes custom pieces from Stella Artois and Budweiser spent grain.
• BEEN LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with design studio on custom pieces. Created Millais bag (2024) and Calvert XL tote (2025). Collaboration pushing New Grain™ closer to commercialisation.
• Diageo (Fusion Alterra)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Diageo's Fusion Alterra programme, creating luxury whisky gifting collection (2026) from whisky distillery spent grain, celebrating the ritual of gifting.
• Stella ArtoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom tennis racket sleeve (2025) made from spent grain of the global beer brand, part of AB InBev partnership.
• BudweiserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom cardholder products (2025) made from Budweiser brewing waste, part of AB InBev partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MycoWorks: MycoWorks produces Fine Mycelium™, a bio-fabricated leather alternative for luxury fashion and automotive. Direct competitor to Arda's New Grain™, serving the same customer base with a different biological feedstock (mycelium vs. plant protein).
• Bolt Threads: Bolt Threads develops bio-fabricated materials including Mylo™ mushroom-based leather alternatives. Competes directly with Arda in the fashion and automotive leather alternative market with similar sustainability positioning.
• Modern Meadow: Modern Meadow produces bio-fabricated materials including plant and protein-based leather alternatives for fashion and automotive. Uses protein technology similar to Arda's, targeting the same premium brand customers.
• Natural Fiber Welding: Natural Fiber Welding produces Mirum®, a plant-based, plastic-free leather alternative using natural fibers and plant oils. Direct competitor with similar plastic-free positioning targeting fashion and footwear brands.
• Desserto: Desserto produces cactus-based leather alternatives for fashion, footwear, and automotive. Direct competitor in the plant-based leather alternative space, serving fashion and luxury brands with bio-based materials.
• Ananas Anam: Ananas Anam produces Piñatex™, a leather alternative made from pineapple leaf fiber. Direct competitor in plant-based leather alternatives for fashion and footwear, with similar sustainability positioning.
• Vegea: Vegea produces leather alternatives from wine industry waste (grape skins, stalks, seeds). Closely analogous concept to Arda — converting beverage industry waste into leather alternatives — serving fashion and automotive customers.

Emerging players

• VitroLabs: VitroLabs is developing cell-cultivated (lab-grown) leather using tissue engineering technology. Targets the same luxury fashion and automotive markets as Arda but with a fundamentally different production approach.
• Beyond Leather Materials: Beyond Leather Materials produces apple waste-based leather alternatives (UPPEAL). Emerging plant-based leather alternative competitor using food industry waste streams, similar circular economy concept to Arda's brewery waste approach.

Broad incumbents

• Sappi: Sappi is a global paper and biomaterials company that has expanded into bio-based materials and dissolving pulp for textile applications. Broad incumbent with the resources to enter the leather alternative space and potential competitor or acquirer in biomaterials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arda-biomaterials
• Instagraminstagram.com/arda.biomaterials

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 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 Arda Biomaterials