Cellva Ingredients
Cellva Ingredients is a Brazilian biotech company that supplies enterprise food manufacturers with functional ingredients—including a patented cocoa alternative (CoffeeCoa), microencapsulated omega-3 (DHAlgae), and clean-label powdered fat—built on proprietary microencapsulation technology for stability, bioavailability, and controlled release.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSão Paulo, Brazil
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cellva Ingredients does
Cellva Ingredients is a Brazilian biotech company, founded in 2022 and headquartered in São Paulo, that develops and supplies functional food ingredients built on proprietary microencapsulation technology. Its core technical platform spans MicroSpheres™ (high-capacity encapsulation with smart intestinal release), Cellva GELI (wet encapsulation for targeted protection and controlled release), and Cellva SPRAY (spray-drying for cost-efficient dry formats), all composed of food-grade, GMO-free, animal-free, non-synthetic inputs. The company's product portfolio centers on CoffeeCoa, a patented cocoa alternative made from upcycled Arabica coffee husks and available in three variants (Red, Dark, Extrato); DHAlgae, a microencapsulated omega-3 from algae; and Cellva Fat, a clean-label powdered fat with customizable lipid profiles. The company also offers custom bioencapsulated solutions co-developed with client R&D teams.
Cellva sells exclusively on a B2B basis to enterprise food manufacturers—primarily industrial bakeries and chocolate producers in Brazil—with active commercial discussions in Europe, Asia, and the US under multi-jurisdictional regulatory approvals (Brazil, Japan, EU, US) for CoffeeCoa. Revenue is generated through one-time ingredient sales and custom R&D/professional-services engagements, with quote-based, non-publicly-disclosed pricing. The company operates an integrated footprint comprising an Applications Lab and headquarters in São Paulo, the Cellva Institute for bioprospecting within the Amazon Biotechnology Center (CBA) in Manaus, and a high-capacity manufacturing partner inside Latin America's largest petrochemical complex in Bahia, supported by a supply chain integrated with 150+ coffee farming families in Minas Gerais. Certifications include ISO 9001, ISO 13485, HACCP, GMP, Rainforest Alliance, and Fairtrade. The company has raised approximately R$28.5M (~$5.4M USD) across three rounds (seed, crowdfunding, pre-Series A) and is led by CEO Sérgio Pinto (formerly of BRF and PepsiCo), CFO Felipe Ricci, and CSO Nadia Skorupa Parachin (PhD, Lund University).
Cellva Ingredients firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cellva Ingredients
- Legal name
- Cellva Ingredients
- Website
- https://cellva.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cellva Ingredients is a Brazilian biotech company that supplies enterprise food manufacturers with functional ingredients—including a patented cocoa alternative (CoffeeCoa), microencapsulated omega-3 (DHAlgae), and clean-label powdered fat—built on proprietary microencapsulation technology for stability, bioavailability, and controlled release.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cellva Ingredients industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Food Ingredients
- NAICS
- Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)
- SIC
- Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Fats & Oils (2070)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Delivery Systems & Encapsulation (Microencapsulation, Liposomes, Emulsions, Beadlets, Spray-Dried) (AFAJAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Encapsulation & Emulsified Delivery Systems (Spray-dried emulsions, Lipid microencapsulation) (AFAJACAL), Bio-based Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals & Specialty Bioactives (EUAAAIAK)
Keywords
Where Cellva Ingredients is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- São Paulo
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cellva Ingredients business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ingredient Sales: Sale of proprietary microencapsulated ingredients including CoffeeCoa (cocoa alternative), DHAlgae (omega-3), and clean-label powdered fats to food manufacturers. Revenue generated through direct B2B sales to industrial clients in bakery, chocolate, dairy, and nutrition sectors.
- Custom R&D Solutions: Co-creation of custom bioencapsulated solutions with R&D teams to match specific product needs. Technical and application support from brief to prototype to industrial scale.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cellva Ingredients product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cellva Ingredients develops and manufactures proprietary microencapsulated food ingredients for industrial customers, including CoffeeCoa (a cocoa alternative made from upcycled Arabica coffee husks), DHAlgae (microencapsulated omega-3 from algae), and Cellva Fat (clean-label powdered fat with custom lipid profile). The offerings are built on patented microencapsulation platforms—Cellva GELI for wet encapsulation with controlled intestinal release, and Cellva SPRAY for dry-format spray-drying—and are complemented by custom bioencapsulation solutions co-developed with client R&D teams.
Product overview
Cellva Ingredients is a Brazilian food technology company that delivers high-performance functional ingredients through proprietary microencapsulation technology. The company operates two core technology platforms—Cellva SPRAY (spray-drying for dry formats and cost optimization) and Cellva GELI (wet encapsulation for targeted delivery)—which support their product portfolio. The flagship product is CoffeeCoa, a natural cocoa alternative made from upcycled Arabica coffee byproducts, available in three variants (Red, Dark, and Extrato). Additional products include DHAlgae (microencapsulated omega-3 from algae) and Cellva Fat (clean-label powdered fat), all supported by custom bioencapsulation services for client-specific formulations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CoffeeCoa: A natural cocoa alternative made from selected arabica coffee with traceability and Fairtrade certification. Available in variants: CoffeeCoa Red, CoffeeCoa Dark, and CoffeeCoa Extrato.
- DHAlgae
- Cellva Fat
- Cellva GELI
- Cellva SPRAY
Products and services
- CoffeeCoa Natural cocoa alternative made from selected Arabica coffee husks with traceability and Fairtrade certification, delivering chocolate and caramel flavor, color, and functionality as a patented microencapsulated powder. Used by industrial bakery and chocolate manufacturers for clean-label cocoa replacement, capable of replacing up to 70% of cocoa in various food applications.
- DHAlgae Microencapsulated omega-3 ingredient sourced from algae with enhanced stability and bioavailability, targeted at nutrition, supplements, pharmaceutical, and functional food applications.
- Cellva Fat Clean-label powdered fat ingredient with real taste, longer shelf life, and custom lipid profile designed to enhance mouthfeel in food applications while enabling fat reduction.
- Custom Bioencapsulated Solutions Custom R&D service that co-creates bioencapsulated ingredient solutions with client R&D teams using Cellva's MicroSpheres™ platform, providing technical and application support from brief through prototype to industrial scale.
Quantifiable outcome
- CoffeeCoa can replace up to 70% of cocoa in food applications
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cellva Ingredients
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cellva Ingredients technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Cellva Ingredients partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cellva Ingredients competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company offering microencapsulation technologies and clean-label functional ingredients for food, beverage and supplement manufacturers. Comparable in platform breadth, B2B customer base, and encapsulation-driven product strategy.
- Ingredion: Major ingredient-solutions provider with a clean-label, plant-based portfolio and encapsulation capabilities serving food manufacturers globally. Comparable in supplying clean-label functional ingredients to industrial bakery and nutrition customers.
- DSM-Firmenich: Global nutrition and flavors giant with deep microencapsulation expertise, algae-based omega-3 (Veramaris), and food-ingredient solutions. Direct overlap with Cellva on DHAlgae omega-3, encapsulation platforms, and pharma/nutraceutical channels.
- Barry Callebaut: World's largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturer. The dominant incumbent serving Cellva's stated chocolate-manufacturer customer segment, with unmatched global distribution and significant R&D resources to launch competing cocoa alternatives.
- Givaudan: World's largest flavors and fragrances company with deep microencapsulation expertise for flavor protection and controlled release. Overlaps with Cellva on encapsulation technology for flavors and functional ingredients.
- Cargill: Global food and ingredient conglomerate with cocoa processing, microencapsulation capabilities and a broad food-ingredient portfolio. Operates across the same customer base (industrial bakery, chocolate, nutrition) and could enter cocoa-alternative space with greater resources.
- Corbion: Global ingredient company specializing in algae-based ingredients (AlgaPrime DHA) and food-preservation solutions. Direct overlap with Cellva's DHAlgae product line and algae-derived omega-3 for nutrition and supplement applications.
Emerging players
- Nukoko: UK-based startup developing cocoa-free chocolate made from fava beans. Comparable emerging player in the cocoa-replacement category, also targeting industrial chocolate manufacturers seeking sustainable, deforestation-free chocolate ingredients.
- Comet Bio: Canadian upcycled-ingredients company converting crop residues into food ingredients. Comparable emerging player leveraging upcycled/agricultural byproducts into B2B ingredient solutions with sustainability positioning.
Direct peers
- Planet A Foods: German startup producing ChoViva, a cocoa-free chocolate alternative from oats and sunflower. Most direct peer to Cellva's CoffeeCoa in the cocoa-replacement category, also targeting industrial chocolate and bakery customers with upcycled/plant-based inputs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cellva Ingredients social profiles
Digital presenceCellva Ingredients compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Cellva Ingredients financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cellva Ingredients leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Cellva Ingredients funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cellva Ingredients M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cellva Ingredients
What does Cellva Ingredients do?
Cellva Ingredients develops and manufactures proprietary microencapsulated food ingredients for industrial customers, including CoffeeCoa (a cocoa alternative made from upcycled Arabica coffee husks), DHAlgae (microencapsulated omega-3 from algae), and Cellva Fat (clean-label powdered fat with custom lipid profile). The offerings are built on patented microencapsulation platforms—Cellva GELI for wet encapsulation with controlled intestinal release, and Cellva SPRAY for dry-format spray-drying—and are complemented by custom bioencapsulation solutions co-developed with client R&D teams.
Is Cellva Ingredients a public or private company?
Cellva Ingredients is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cellva Ingredients founded?
Cellva Ingredients was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cellva Ingredients based?
Cellva Ingredients is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Cellva Ingredients make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Ingredient Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom R&D Solutions.
Who are Cellva Ingredients's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Kerry Group, Ingredion, DSM-Firmenich, Barry Callebaut, Givaudan, Cargill and Corbion. Emerging players are Nukoko and Comet Bio. Planet A Foods is listed as a direct peer.
Does Cellva Ingredients have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cellva Ingredients.
What industry is Cellva Ingredients in?
Cellva Ingredients's product category is Specialty Food Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAJAKAL, Delivery Systems & Encapsulation (Microencapsulation, Liposomes, Emulsions, Beadlets, Spray-Dried), with a secondary code of AFAJACAL, Encapsulation & Emulsified Delivery Systems (Spray-dried emulsions, Lipid microencapsulation). Its NAICS code is 325411 and its SIC code is 2833.