Roval

What Roval does

Roval GmbH is a privately held German producer of spirulina algae, operating Germany's first agricultural algae farm from a greenhouse facility in Rockstedt near Hamburg and selling its output to consumers under the JoMaa brand. The company cultivates spirulina in 18 closed-system basins (each ~12,000 liters), using well water, solar light, and waste heat from a neighboring biogas plant, then harvests via proprietary drum filtration and vacuum dewatering before drying at raw-food quality below 42°C — a process the company developed over five years of iteration and contrasts explicitly with industrial spray-drying above 120°C.

Its product portfolio comprises four spirulina formats (powder, streusel/crisps, shock-frozen fresh cubes, and 5% spirulina pasta) plus a trial bundle, with publicly disclosed retail prices ranging from €3.95 to €49.90 per unit. Roval generates revenue primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on its own Shopify storefront, complemented by Amazon Germany, an on-site farm shop open Friday mornings, and an emerging B2B channel for bulk raw-material supply to food manufacturers. Reported buyer segments are health-conscious German consumers, families seeking child-friendly formats, fitness/sports users, and (incipiently) food-industry buyers seeking European-origin spirulina.

The company is founder-led (Managing Director Maarten Heins), bootstrapped without external institutional capital, and currently relies on a 5-person core team. Beyond consumer sales, Roval is engaged in the EPA Algae research project (2024–2027) with Hochschule Bremerhaven and Henry Lamotte Oils to develop plant-based Omega-3 extracts, signaling a longer-term expansion from spirulina food into functional ingredients.

Name

Roval

Legal name

Roval GmbH

Website

https://www.jomaa-spirulina.de/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roval GmbH operates Germany's first agricultural algae farm near Hamburg, producing gourmet spirulina in four formats under the JoMaa brand for direct-to-consumer, marketplace, and B2B bulk buyers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spirulina Production and Sales

NAICS

Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAJAHAF

Algae & Seaweed Proteins (Microalgae/Spirulina, Macroalgae)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Proteins & Protein Ingredients (Plant/Animal Proteins, Protein Isolates/Concentrates)

Keywords

• Spirulina production
• Algae cultivation
• Agricultural farming
• Nutritional supplements
• Superfood products

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales (D2C): Online shop sales of spirulina products (Powder, Streusel, Cubes, Nudeln, Probierpaket) to end consumers in Germany, EU, UK, and Switzerland. Prices range from €3.95 (nudeln) to €49.90 (500g powder). Subscription/recurring delivery model offered.
2. B2B Bulk Raw Material Sales: Sale of spirulina as raw material (bulkware) to businesses for use as an ingredient in their own products. Also offers branded JoMaa product resale partnerships.
3. Farm-Direct Retail Sales: On-site farm sales every Friday morning (07:00-12:30) without prior appointment. Also supports visitor group tours and educational visits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Roval GmbH cultivates spirulina in a controlled greenhouse near Hamburg and sells the finished algae under the JoMaa brand in multiple consumer formats including dried powder, crispy streusel, shock-frozen fresh cubes, and pasta made with 5% spirulina. Products are sold primarily through the company's own e-commerce shop with subscription/recurring delivery options, supplemented by farm-direct retail sales and a small B2B channel for bulk raw material.

Product overview

Roval GmbH operates as Germany's first agricultural algae farm, producing gourmet spirulina under the JoMaa brand. The product portfolio consists of five offerings: four spirulina product formats (Powder, Crisps/Streusel, Frozen Cubes, and Pasta) plus a Trial Package. The products are manufactured entirely in-house at their greenhouse facility near Hamburg, using proprietary cultivation, harvesting, and raw-food-quality drying processes (max 42°C). The different product formats serve varying consumer preferences—from versatile powder for mixing into foods/beverages, to crispy streusel for snacking and topping, to convenient frozen cubes for maximum freshness, to pasta for incorporating spirulina into daily meals. The trial package bundles all formats together for discovery purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spirulina Pulver (Powder) Dried spirulina powder made from fresh harvest and processed at raw-food quality (maximum 42°C) to preserve nutrients. Available in 100g, 150g, 250g, and 500g sizes. Designed for mixing into smoothies, juices, yogurt, cereal, baking, or cooking. Recommended daily intake is 6-12g (2-4 tsp).
• Spirulina Streusel (Crisps) Crunchy dried spirulina crisps/granules processed at raw-food quality. Available in 100g, 150g, 250g, and 500g sizes for topping salads, bowls, pasta, or as a direct snack.
• Spirulina Cubes Fresh spirulina shock-frozen immediately after harvest into portioned cubes. Not dried or otherwise processed, retaining maximum enzymatic activity and bioavailability. One cube per day recommended, dissolved in water, juice, or smoothies. Sold as a frozen product with higher shipping cost (€14.90, free above €89).
• Spirulina Nudeln (Pasta) Pasta made with 5% spirulina and 95% durum wheat semolina. Provides 17g protein per 100g, cooks in 7 minutes, and is suitable for vegetable stir-fries, pestos, summer pasta salads, or with olive oil.
• Probierpaket (Trial Package) Sample package containing all three dry spirulina product forms (powder, crisps, and pasta). Priced at €35.00 (regularly €37.75) and includes a 60-day satisfaction guarantee to let customers discover their preferred format.

Quantifiable outcome

• >60% protein content in dried spirulina, containing all essential amino acids
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hochschule Bremerhaven (Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Research partnership for the EPA Algae project (July 2024 – June 2027) focused on extracting EPA (Eicosapentaensäure), a plant-based and sustainable Omega-3 fatty acid. JoMaa provides large-scale cultivation testing at their Rockstedt facility while the university contributes scientific research expertise.
• Henry Lamotte Oils GmbH (Bremen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Partner in the EPA Algae project alongside Hochschule Bremerhaven. Henry Lamotte Oils contributes oil extraction and processing expertise to develop the complete process chain from algae cultivation to marketable EPA extract.
• Algatec GbRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Co-development partnership for establishing JoMaa's own algae nursery/starters (Anzucht). Algatec contributed expertise for developing closed tubing bag cultivation systems (10-50L volume) that enabled JoMaa to start production independently.
• Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with various universities, colleges, and institutes including AWI for ongoing R&D around algae topics. Nature of collaboration is not detailed beyond general reference.
• Benachbarte Biogasanlage (Neighboring Biogas Plant)coreOthersProvides waste heat from biogas production to heat the greenhouse facility. This sustainable energy partnership enables year-round 30-35°C cultivation temperatures with minimal energy consumption.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cyanotech Corporation: Cyanotech is a publicly listed US (Hawaii) producer of spirulina and astaxanthin from microalgae. It is a direct peer in the spirulina cultivation business, operating at much larger scale and selling bulk ingredient plus finished products — directly comparable to JoMaa's spirulina farming and B2B offering.
• Earthrise Nutritionals: Earthrise Nutritionals is a major US spirulina producer (Calipatrina farm) and one of the largest Western spirulina operations. It competes with JoMaa in the same product category (bulk spirulina ingredient and finished spirulina) with similar transparency/provenance positioning in Western markets.
• Microphyt: Microphyt is a French microalgae producer developing ingredients for nutraceuticals, food and cosmetics from cultivated microalgae. It is directly comparable to JoMaa in European microalgae cultivation and in the move up-chain into functional ingredients like Omega-3 and pigments.
• Allmicroalgae: Allmicroalgae is a European (Portugal) producer of Chlorella vulgaris and other microalgae for food and feed applications. It is directly comparable to JoMaa in European microalgae cultivation, operating a similar closed/photobioreactor-based production model serving B2B ingredient customers.
• Necton S.A. Necton is a Portuguese microalgae producer (Spirulina, Chlorella, Nannochloropsis) operating photobioreactor and open-pond cultivation. It is directly comparable to JoMaa in European microalgae cultivation and bulk ingredient supply for nutraceutical and food applications.

Broad incumbents

• Roquette: Roquette is a major French global ingredient manufacturer (plant-based proteins including algae-derived ingredients) supplying food, nutrition and pharma industries. It is a broad incumbent in the same plant-protein/ingredient category where JoMaa is positioning its B2B bulk spirulina and EPA Omega-3 efforts.
• Foodspring: Foodspring is a Berlin-based D2C sports nutrition and superfood brand with broad product range. It overlaps with JoMaa's fitness/athlete segment and its premium D2C Shopify-led model, but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple supplement categories.
• DIC Corporation / Sun Chlorella: Sun Chlorella (subsidiary of DIC Corporation, Japan) is a globally established microalgae producer and brand focused on Chlorella and related superfoods. It is comparable to JoMaa as a large-scale microalgae finished-product brand selling premium wellness products through D2C and retail channels.

Regional players

• Prolupin GmbH: Prolupin is a German ingredient company producing plant-based protein isolates from lupin. It is comparable to JoMaa as a regional German player in alternative plant proteins, addressing similar European food/B2B ingredient customers seeking non-animal protein sources.
• Rapunzel Naturkost: Rapunzel Naturkost is a leading German organic food manufacturer and brand focused on transparency, organic certification and domestic European sourcing. It is comparable to JoMaa in the German 'Bio/regional' premium food positioning that appeals to the same health-conscious consumer segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/shopify
• Instagraminstagram.com/shopify
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roval-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Roval