Orpia Innovation

What Orpia Innovation does

Orpia Innovation is a French private company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Paris, with an R&D center in Montpellier. It develops bio-based molecules by extracting, purifying and synthesizing compounds from cashew nut by-products as a direct alternative to petrochemical-derived phenol. The company's stated core technology is a proprietary green-chemistry process adapted specifically for cashew nutshell valorization, positioning it as the only producer of natural-origin phenol available in large volumes (claimed at over 1 million tons per year of accessible raw material) at a claimed 2–3x cost advantage versus other bioresources.

Orpia operates a three-stage value chain — extraction, purification and synthesis, and distribution — and converts its bio-phenol into four application product lines: chemical building blocks, plasticizers, cosmetic ingredients, and animal feed additives. Its customer orientation is horizontal B2B across the chemical and materials industry, with stated target use cases in composites, coatings, detergents, cosmetics, animal nutrition, plasticizers and chemical building blocks. The company emphasizes non-toxicity, circular-economy sourcing, and a non-food bioresource footprint as differentiators.

On the business-model side, Orpia is registered as a SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) with a registered capital of €64,300 and 11–50 employees. Revenue model, pricing, customer logos and funding history are not publicly disclosed. The company has built a dense partnership network spanning research (CNRS, Institut Carnot, ICBMS, ICGM), institutional finance (BPIfrance), supply-chain development in West Africa (FIRCA, Conseil du Coton, Nitidae) and industry clusters (Polymeris, Société des Chimistes, CCI), and holds the French government's JEI (Jeune Entreprise Innovante) certification. The combination of low disclosed capitalization, an unverified production footprint and the absence of any disclosed commercial traction indicates an early-stage development-stage company.

Name

Orpia Innovation

Legal name

SAS Orpia Innovation

Website

https://orpiainnovation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orpia Innovation is a French bio-based chemicals startup that uses proprietary green-chemistry processes to convert cashew nut by-products into natural phenol alternatives for B2B industrial applications including composites, coatings, cosmetics, plasticizers and animal nutrition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bio-based Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Solvents & Process Chemicals (e.g., bio-acetone, bio-butanol, bio-IPA, green solvents) (EUAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bio-based Surfactants, Detergent Ingredients & Oleochemicals (EUAAAIAE)

Keywords

• Bio-based chemicals
• Green chemistry
• Cashew by-products
• Bio-based phenol
• Sustainable materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Core offering

Orpia Innovation develops bio-based molecules through the recycling and upcycling of cashew nut by-products. The company produces natural-origin phenol as a direct alternative to petrochemical-derived phenol, using a proprietary extraction, purification, and synthesis process. Its products are channeled into applications including composites, coatings, detergents, cosmetics, animal nutrition, plasticizers, and chemical building blocks.

Product overview

Orpia Innovation develops bio-based molecules through an integrated extraction and synthesis process that transforms cashew nut by-products into high-value chemical ingredients. The company operates a three-stage value chain: Extraction, Purification & Synthesis, and Distribution. Their core product is natural-origin phenol, which serves as a direct alternative to petrochemical sources. This phenol is then channeled into multiple product applications including: Chemical Building Blocks (fundamental intermediates), Plasticizers (for polymers and composites), Cosmetic Ingredients (for personal care formulations), and Animal Feed Additives. All products emphasize circular economy principles, non-toxicity, competitive pricing (2-3x cheaper than other bioresources), and abundant supply availability (+1 million tons per year from cashew nut processing).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bio-based Phenol Molecules Bio-based phenol molecules extracted and synthesized from cashew nut by-products, serving as a direct alternative to petrochemical-derived phenol with similar chemical composition. Sold to B2B customers in the chemical and materials industry.
• Chemical Building Blocks Fundamental bio-based chemical building blocks synthesized from cashew nut by-products for various industrial chemical synthesis applications.
• Plasticizers Bio-based plasticizer compounds derived from cashew nut by-products for polymer and composite applications.
• Cosmetic Ingredients Bio-based ingredient formulations for cosmetic and personal care product manufacturing.
• Animal Feed Additives Products derived from cashew nut by-products for animal nutrition applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-3X cheaper than other bioresources
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNRScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national scientific research center - partnership for research and development activities related to cashew nut by-product valorization and bio-based molecule development.
• Société des ChimistesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench chemical society partnership for expertise in chemistry applications and professional network.
• CCI (Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench Chamber of Commerce and Industry partnership for business development and market access.
• ICBMSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partnership for chemical and biochemical processing.
• Bioeconomy4ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in bioeconomy initiatives and sustainable development programs.
• ANRTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partnering for research and technology transfer initiatives.
• NitidaeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for sustainable development and agricultural value chain expertise.
• ICGMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partnership for chemistry and chemical engineering.
• Institut CarnotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of French research labs with Carnot label - partnership for applied research and technology transfer.
• FIRCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research institute partnership for cashew sector development.
• PolymerisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolymer industry cluster partnership for applications development.
• Conseil du CotonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCotton council partnership for agricultural by-product expertise and network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Arkema: Arkema is a global specialty chemicals leader with bio-based product lines (including bio-based polyamides, surfactants and additives) and a downstream portfolio spanning coatings, adhesives, composites and detergents — the same end-markets Orpia targets with its bio-based phenol.
• Evonik: Evonik is a specialty chemicals company with bio-based and sustainable product lines across coatings, cosmetics, animal nutrition and high-performance polymers — the same downstream verticals Orpia addresses.
• LANXESS: LANXESS is a specialty chemicals company with established positions in plasticizers, coatings, and industrial intermediates, and an increasing focus on sustainable and bio-based alternatives that compete with Orpia's renewable phenol-derived products.
• BASF: BASF is the world's largest chemical producer with significant bio-based and circular-economy programs across intermediates, performance chemicals and agricultural solutions. It is the dominant incumbent competing for phenol-replacement and renewable feedstock opportunities.
• Syensqo: Syensqo (carved out of Solvay) is a specialty chemicals company with bio-based and renewable feedstock initiatives across composites, coatings, and consumer-care ingredients, making it a broad incumbent competing for the same downstream bio-based substitution opportunities.
• Croda International: Croda is a global specialty ingredients company serving personal care, animal care, coatings and polymer markets — directly overlapping Orpia's cosmetics, animal nutrition, coatings and plasticizer applications — with an increasing bio-based portfolio.
• Cargill: Cargill operates industrial bio-based ingredient businesses (including bio-based acids, polymers and animal nutrition ingredients) overlapping with Orpia's chemical building blocks and animal feed additive product lines.

Direct peers

• Palmer International: Palmer International produces cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) derivatives and derivatives-based specialty resins for coatings, friction and adhesives. It is a direct cashew-valorization peer competing for the same upstream supply pool and downstream chemistry customers as Orpia.
• Cardolite: Cardolite is the global leader in cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL)-derived specialty chemicals, producing epoxy curatives, phenalkamines, plasticizers and friction particles from the same cashew by-product feedstock Orpia uses. It is the closest direct competitor by both raw material and end-application overlap.

Emerging players

• LanzaTech: LanzaTech is a carbon-capture-to-chemicals company producing bio-based ethanol and downstream chemicals from industrial off-gases, representing an alternative renewable-route competitor pursuing the same petrochemical substitution opportunity as Orpia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orpiainnovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Orpia Innovation