What Upcycling Solutions® does

Upcycling Solutions® is a São Paulo-based project consultancy and ecosystem orchestrator founded in 2022, operating as the first Brazilian company specialized in food upcycling. The company helps food processing companies, agroindustries, and ingredient manufacturers transform production waste and byproducts into new marketable products and high-value ingredients, addressing waste disposal costs, ESG compliance, and revenue diversification. Service offerings include waste residue diagnosis, upcycling product development, trend research, ingredient scouting, carbon footprint analysis, and ESG advisory, all delivered through customized project engagements.

The company's core technology is not a single product but a multi-platform ecosystem: the Cyssi-powered digital platform connects waste streams with upcycling opportunities; FoodGate 2.0 is an AI-enhanced B2B matchmaking marketplace for surplus food ingredients; Synex Ingredients is the industrial production arm using fermentation and bioprocessing to produce fibers, proteins, beta-glucans, and postbiotics from agroindustrial waste; and Certificação Produto Upcycled® is the first Brazilian certification for upcycled food products, validated by ABRARASTRO. The Upcycling Community — the first in Brazil — connects 150+ companies, startups, researchers, and professionals across 30+ industrial, technological, and regulatory partners.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services (project fees and bespoke consultancy), supplemented by certification fees, marketplace/transaction facilitation (FoodGate, Cyssi), and ingredient sales (Synex Ingredients, planned to begin industrial production in Cambará, Paraná in 2026). The company operates as PROInnova – Consultoria em Engenharia e Pesquisa, Ltda., is founder-owned with no disclosed external funding, and maintains a lean team of 7 employees. Enterprise logos (Arla, Ambev, Nestlé, Veolia) appear on the website as ecosystem participants; Nude is the first certified upcycled product client. The company presents itself as the leading reference in upcycling and circular economy in Brazil and Latin America, with international visibility at the World Agri-Tech South-America Summit and the Sustainability Experience at FiSA.

Name

Upcycling Solutions®

Legal name

PROInnova – Consultoria em Engenharia e Pesquisa, Ltda.

Website

https://upcyclingsolutions.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upcycling Solutions® is a São Paulo-based consultancy and ecosystem orchestrator founded in 2022 that helps food industry companies transform production waste into marketable products and high-value ingredients through project development, an industrial partner (Synex Ingredients), a B2B surplus marketplace (FoodGate), a certification standard, and a community network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food upcycling consulting services

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Material Reuse & Upcycling Services (Non-recycling Transformation) (EUAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trade-in, Buyback & Instant Cashout Recommerce (CRAFAGAL)

Keywords

• Food upcycling consulting
• Circular economy services
• Agricultural residue valorization
• Upcycled ingredient development
• Food waste matchmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services — Upcycling Project Development: Upcycling Solutions acts as a project consultancy, developing bespoke upcycling solutions for food industry clients. Services include waste residue diagnosis, upcycling product development, trend research, ingredient scouting, carbon footprint analysis, ESG strategy, and training/events. Revenue is generated through project fees, service contracts, and custom engagements. The company describes itself as 'an office of projects' helping companies transform production waste into new products and ingredients introduced into real consumer markets.
2. FoodGate Platform — Transaction Facilitation: FoodGate functions as an intelligent B2B matchmaking platform for food ingredient surplus, connecting sellers of surplus stock with qualified buyers. The platform provides curation, traceability, and intermediary services. It is positioned as a tool for operational efficiency that reduces procurement costs and frees immobilized capital.
3. Certification Revenue (Certificação Produto Upcycled): Revenue is generated through the certification of upcycled food products and ingredients. Companies with upcycled products pay for certification to receive the Certificação Produto Upcycled seal, gaining differentiation, market credibility, and consumer trust.
4. Synex Ingredients — Ingredient Sales (as a Service): Synex Ingredients, the industrial partner of Upcycling Solutions, operates on an 'as a service' model to transform agroindustrial byproducts into high-value ingredients for human food. The company produces fibers, proteins, and functional ingredients at industrial scale at its Cambará (PR) facility. Revenue comes from ingredient sales to food industry manufacturers.
5. Digital Platform — Cyssi Marketplace: The Cyssi digital platform connects waste generators with upcycling solution providers, facilitating transactions and connections. The platform is under development and is intended to operate as a specialized marketplace for upcycled ingredients.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Upcycling Solutions is a São Paulo-based food upcycling consultancy (escritório de projetos) that helps food and beverage companies convert industrial residues and co-products into new ingredients, products, and revenue streams. Its service portfolio includes waste/residue diagnosis, upcycling product development, trend research, ingredient scouting, carbon-footprint analysis, and ESG advisory, delivered alongside proprietary digital platforms Cyssi and FoodGate, the Certificação Produto Upcycled® mark, and industrial partner Synex Ingredients.

Product overview

Upcycling Solutions® operates as a project consultancy office offering an integrated ecosystem of services and platforms for food upcycling. The core offering includes consulting services (product development, residue diagnosis, trend research, ingredient scouting, R&D, carbon footprint and ESG advisory) alongside digital platforms (the Cyssi digital platform for buyer-seller connections, FoodGate B2B marketplace, and Comunidade Upcycling network). The portfolio is anchored by Synex Ingredients (industrial production platform) and the Certificação Produto Upcycled® (certification service managed with ABRARASTRO), creating a complete value chain from waste diagnosis through ingredient development to market certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FoodGate: Intelligent B2B matchmaking platform for food ingredients, simplifying transactions between companies wanting to sell surplus stocks and those seeking economic opportunities in acquiring ingredients, with curation, security and specialized intermediation.
• Certificação Produto Upcycled®
• Comunidade Upcycling
• Sustainability Experience

Products and services

• Upcycling Project Development (Consultoria em Upcycling)
• Cyssi Digital Platform
• FoodGate
• Certificação Produto Upcycled®
• Comunidade Upcycling
• Sustainability Experience

Quantifiable outcome

• Investment in upcycling returns >5x the invested value
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Synex IngredientscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynex Ingredients is the direct industrial partner platform of Upcycling Solutions, dedicated to transforming agroindustrial byproducts into high-value ingredients for human food, combining biotechnology, industrial scale, and circular economy. It operates an 'as a service' model and is establishing industrial production in Cambará, Paraná. Synex represents the production and scaling arm of the Upcycling Solutions ecosystem.
• FoodGatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoodGate is a sister platform within the Upcycling Solutions ecosystem, functioning as an intelligent B2B matchmaking system for surplus food ingredients. It connects companies looking to sell surplus stock with buyers seeking economic and sustainable ingredient acquisition. FoodGate 2.0 represents a major platform evolution with enhanced AI-powered matchmaking.
• ABRARASTROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABRARASTRO (Associação Brasileira de Agroindústrias Associativas e Economía Solidária) is the association responsible for validating the attribution of the Certificação Produto Upcycled. It provides independent governance and credibility to the certification standard.
• Informa MarketscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInforma Markets is the organizer of Fi South America (FiSA), the largest food ingredients trade show in Latin America. Upcycling Solutions co-organizes the Sustainability Experience pavilion at FiSA, creating a dedicated space for sustainable and upcycled products and companies.
• NudeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNude is an oat-based beverage company that has engaged Upcycling Solutions to develop upcycled products. It is the first company to receive the Certificação Produto Upcycled for a cereal made from oat milk production residue.
• PROInnovacoreOthersPROInnova – Consultoria em Engenharia e Pesquisa, Ltda. is the entity that maintains and operates the Upcycling Solutions website and brand. It serves as the operational/legal entity behind the Upcycling Solutions brand and provides consultancy services.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ReFED: U.S.-based nonprofit and data/insights engine focused on reducing food waste across the value chain. Comparable to Upcycling Solutions because both operate as ecosystem orchestrators linking food producers, policymakers, and solution providers around waste valorization, though ReFED operates at policy/data scale in North America.
• Apeel Sciences: U.S.-based company applying plant-derived coatings and digital supply-chain tools to extend produce shelf life and reduce food waste. Comparable as a science-led, venture-backed food-waste solution provider selling into the same multinational CPG/fresh-produce customer base that Upcycling Solutions targets.
• Feedback Global: UK-based environmental NGO running Feedback Labs and surplus-redistribution programs aimed at cutting food waste at the producer and retailer level. Comparable as a consultancy/advocacy actor that helps food companies operationalize waste reduction and circular economy strategies, similar to Upcycling Solutions' project-development work.

Emerging players

• OLIO: UK-based app and B2B platform (OLIO Enterprise) for sharing surplus food between retailers, manufacturers, and consumers. Comparable as a digital platform connecting surplus supply with demand, mirroring FoodGate's two-sided marketplace approach, though OLIO focuses on retail/consumer while FoodGate targets B2B ingredient transactions.
• Too Good To Go: European B2C/B2B marketplace that connects businesses with surplus food to consumers and now to ingredient buyers. Comparable to FoodGate's B2B surplus ingredient marketplace motion, though Too Good To Go operates at consumer scale and globally, while FoodGate is a regional B2B platform.
• WTRMLN WTR: U.S. company that upcycles imperfect/watermelon juice waste into bottled beverages, demonstrating a consumer upcycled-product model. Comparable as a food-waste-to-ingredient/upcycled-product operator, though WTRMLN WTR sits further downstream (finished product) than Upcycling Solutions' project-development + ingredient platform play.
• Yala Foods: U.S.-based startup producing upcycled food ingredients (e.g., date paste, dried vegetable powders) from surplus produce for CPG and foodservice customers. Comparable because it operates as a branded upcycled-ingredient supplier similar in spirit to Synex Ingredients' 'as-a-service' positioning for food manufacturers.

Direct peers

• Winnow Solutions: UK-based company providing AI-powered food waste measurement and analytics for commercial kitchens, helping operators reduce waste and cost. Comparable because it sells a waste-diagnosis + data + reduction solution into food enterprises — directly paralleling Upcycling Solutions' Diagnóstico de Resíduos and project-development services.
• Outcast Foods: Canadian company that upcycles surplus and misshapen produce into powdered ingredients and natural extracts for food and beverage manufacturers. Comparable because it combines an upcycling-as-a-service model with ingredient production, mirroring the Synex Ingredients industrial arm of Upcycling Solutions.
• Upcycled Food Association: North American industry body that administers the 'Upcycled Certified™' standard for upcycled food products. Directly comparable because Upcycling Solutions has effectively built a regional (Brazil/LatAm) version of UFA — combining certification with ecosystem curation — and would compete or partner with UFA if it expands south.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UpcyclingSolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upcycling-solutions
• Instagraminstagram.com/upcyclingsolutions
• TikToktiktok.com/@upcycling.solutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Upcycling Solutions®