MeliBio

What MeliBio does

MeliBio is a California-based food technology company founded in 2020 by Darko Mandich (former honey industry executive) and Dr. Aaron Schaller (scientist) to develop plant-based alternatives to commercial bee-made honey. The company's flagship product, Mellody®, is the world's first plant-based honey produced via a proprietary plant-science approach designed to replace invasive honeybees while delivering molecularly similar properties to conventional honey. The underlying technology leverages precision fermentation and a proprietary formulation IP stack organized into 'Generation 1' and more advanced 'Generation 2' fermentation platforms.

MeliBio monetizes Mellody® through a B2B enterprise sales motion targeting high-end culinary establishments as anchor customers (debuting at 3-Michelin-Starred Eleven Madison Park) and expanding into mainstream grocery via partnerships with major retailers such as Aldi. The company also pursues licensing of technology and brand IP as a revenue stream. Customer segments span food and beverage manufacturers seeking sustainable ingredients, premium hospitality operators, and sustainability-conscious retail consumers.

The company raised approximately $9.4 million across multiple seed and pre-Series A rounds between 2020 and 2024, with Astanor Ventures leading the $5.7M seed round in March 2022. In May 2025, MeliBio was acquired by FoodYoung Labs, a Swiss-based vertically integrated next-generation food group, transferring ownership of the Mellody® brand and 'Generation 1' technology/IP. The 'Generation 2' fermentation technology was excluded from the transaction. MeliBio now operates as part of FoodYoung Labs' portfolio, with the parent providing European and US commercial infrastructure for further scale.

Name

MeliBio

Legal name

MeliBio, Inc.

Website

https://melibio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MeliBio is a California-based food technology company that developed Mellody®, the world's first plant-based honey using proprietary plant-science and precision fermentation technology, serving food manufacturers, premium restaurants, and retail consumers before its 2025 acquisition by FoodYoung Labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mellody® Plant-Based Honey Sales: MeliBio generates revenue through the direct sale of its Mellody® bee-free honey product to B2B customers (restaurants, food manufacturers) and retail consumers. Revenue is driven by product volume, with pricing positioned at a premium reflecting the novel technology and sustainability positioning.
2. Licensing of Technology and IP: Following acquisition by FoodYoung Labs, MeliBio's technology and Mellody® brand IP were transferred, with FoodYoung Labs commercializing the product through its retail and food manufacturing channels, potentially generating licensing or supply revenue for MeliBio.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MeliBio develops and sells Mellody®, the world's first plant-based honey, produced via a proprietary plant-science approach intended to replace invasive honeybees in commercial honey production. The company supplies this bee-free honey to B2B customers including premium restaurants, food manufacturers, and grocery retailers (e.g., Aldi), addressing food security, supply chain fragility, and pollinator biodiversity concerns.

Product overview

MeliBio is a California-based food technology company that developed the world's first plant-based honey under the Mellody® brand. The company uses a proprietary plant-science approach to create bee-free honey that addresses critical food security and supply chain challenges affecting commercial honey production in the US and Europe. The technology was designed to replace invasive honeybees while supporting native pollinator biodiversity. The company was acquired by FoodYoung Labs in May 2025, which includes the Mellody® brand and 'Generation 1' technology, though the 'Generation 2' fermentation tech was excluded from the deal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mellody: Plant-based honey brand created by MeliBio, the world's first sustainable honey that supports native pollinator biodiversity. The brand was debuted with 3-Michelin-Starred Eleven Madison Park and expanded to major retailers like Aldi.

Products and services

• Mellody® Plant-Based Honey Mellody® is a plant-based honey produced via MeliBio's proprietary plant-science approach, intended as a bee-free, pollinator-friendly alternative to conventional honey for use by food manufacturers, premium restaurants, and grocery retailers. The product is molecularly comparable to commercial bee-made honey and is sold to B2B customers such as Eleven Madison Park and Aldi.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FoodYoung LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025FoodYoung Labs, a Swiss-based vertically integrated next-generation food group, acquired MeliBio including its Mellody® brand and 'Generation 1' technology/associated IP. FoodYoung Labs operates a full-stack innovation lab in Balerna, Switzerland and supports house brands across snacks, bars, chocolates, spreads, baked, and frozen products. The acquisition combines FoodYoung Labs' food science, culinary craftsmanship, and food tech capabilities with MeliBio's bee-free technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Geltor: US precision fermentation company producing animal-free proteins for food and beauty applications. Comparable to MeliBio as a precision fermentation platform company leveraging proprietary biology to make sustainable alternatives to animal-derived ingredients.
• Bon Vivant: French precision fermentation startup producing animal-free dairy and cheese proteins. Comparable to MeliBio as a European precision fermentation food-tech company replacing an animal-derived ingredient category via proprietary microbial platforms.
• Helaina: US precision fermentation company producing human-identical lactoferrin protein for infant nutrition. Comparable to MeliBio as a fellow precision fermentation food-tech startup featured in the same industry coverage alongside Perfect Day and The EVERY Company.
• Formo: German precision fermentation startup producing animal-free dairy cheese. Comparable to MeliBio as a Europe-based precision fermentation food-tech company targeting animal-derived ingredient replacement with a similar venture-backed growth profile.
• Bee Free Honey Co. New Zealand-based producer of plant-based honey alternatives. Comparable to MeliBio as a direct competitor in the bee-free / plant-based honey category targeting vegan and sustainability-conscious consumers.

Broad incumbents

• Remilk: Israel-based precision fermentation company producing animal-free dairy proteins. Comparable to MeliBio in precision-fermentation technology and B2B ingredient-supply model targeting food manufacturers seeking sustainable alternatives to animal-derived ingredients.
• Perfect Day: US-based precision fermentation leader producing animal-free dairy whey proteins. Comparable to MeliBio as a fellow precision-fermentation food-tech company using proprietary biology to replace animal-derived ingredients, with substantially larger scale and capital base.
• FoodYoung Labs: Swiss vertically integrated next-generation food group and MeliBio's parent company post-acquisition. Comparable as the strategic acquirer providing multi-category food infrastructure (snacks, bars, chocolates, spreads, baked, frozen) and global distribution that MeliBio now plugs into.
• Clara Foods (now The EVERY Company): Pioneer precision fermentation company producing animal-free egg proteins, now part of The EVERY Company. Comparable to MeliBio as an early-stage precision fermentation company that successfully scaled and exited via strategic combination.
• The EVERY Company: Precision fermentation company producing animal-free egg and whey proteins via fermentation. Comparable to MeliBio in technology platform (precision fermentation) and category strategy (replacing animal-derived food ingredients with fermentation-based alternatives).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MeliBioInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/MeliBioInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/melibioinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors24 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 MeliBio