Nutreal Limited

What Nutreal Limited does

Nutreal Limited is associated with FoodLAND (FOOD and Local, Agricultural and Nutritional Diversity), an EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation project operating under grant agreement No 862802. The project is coordinated by Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna (UNIBO) and brings together a consortium of 23 institutions and companies from European and African countries. It develops open technological innovations for crop farming, fish farming, and food processing, with the stated aim of strengthening nutrition-responsive agro-biodiversity and reducing malnutrition across six African countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda).

The project's core technical outputs include 23 open technological innovations and 26 novel food products spanning improved bean varieties with enhanced iron and zinc content, the IrriSmart precision irrigation mobile app, solar drying and osmotic dehydration systems, recirculating aquaculture systems with alternative local feeds, passive charcoal cooling blankets (which extended bean shelf life from 3 to 9 days), and four bio-based packaging prototypes. These innovations are validated through 14 Food Hubs paired with 14 cities, serving as field-level injection points where local smallholder farmers, food processors, authorities, researchers, and NGOs collaborate.

FoodLAND does not operate as a commercial enterprise. It is grant-funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme and does not generate product revenue. The project's final consortium meeting was held in Meknès, Morocco in January–February 2025, indicating the wind-down of the four-year research initiative. Its primary "customers" are the smallholder farmers (targeting ~4,000 innovator farmers), local food processors and SMEs, and rural/urban consumers in the six target countries.

Name

Nutreal Limited

Website

https://foodland-africa.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nutreal Limited is associated with FoodLAND, an EU Horizon 2020 research project (grant No. 862802) that develops and validates open agricultural, aquaculture, and food-processing technologies for ~4,000 smallholder farmers across six African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nutrient-Enhanced Foods

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112), Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing (311230)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Gluten-Free & Specialty Grain-Based Foods Manufacturing (GF pasta/cereals, ancient grains) (AFAKABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG), Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG)

Keywords

• Nutrient-enhanced foods
• Composite flour production
• Food processing research
• Agro-biodiversity innovation
• Specialty food manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bologna

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nutreal Limited produces and markets nutrient-enhanced foods and composite flours manufactured from locally grown crops, operating within an EU-funded African food systems research and innovation framework (FoodLAND). The company connects agricultural production, food processing technologies, and community-based Food Hubs to deliver fortified food products such as composite flours and therapeutic foods targeting nutritional deficiencies in African markets. Activities span bean variety development, aquaculture, post-harvest processing technologies (solar drying, osmotic dehydration, cooling blankets), and bio-based packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FoodLAND Open Platform: An open platform where all FoodLAND open technologies and new food products are made available.

Products and services

• Nutrient-enhanced foods and composite flours (FoodLAND portfolio) Nutrient-enhanced foods and composite flours made from locally grown crops, intended to address micronutrient deficiencies (particularly iron and zinc) and contribute to dietary diversity across African markets. Designed for rural and urban consumers and food processors in Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 novel food products developed ranging from fresh, dried and processed vegetables and fish to composite flours and therapeutic foods
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AquaBioTech GroupcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024AquaBioTech leads the Aquaculture Working Group providing expertise in aquaculture. They developed recirculating technologies, alternative feeds using locally available ingredients, and support aquaculture activities in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• Youth Ignite / Starthub AfricaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Youth Ignite Student Founders Fellowship supports student innovation. FoodLAND-affiliated students participated in pitch competitions, winning second place with a charcoal blanket technology for reducing fruit spoilage.
• FNSSA Sister Projects (InnoFoodAfrica, HealthyFoodAfrica)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024FoodLAND partners collaborated with InnoFoodAfrica and HealthyFoodAfrica at the FNSSA Sister Project Synergy Summit in Helsinki to share results and insights on African agri-food system transformation.
• KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Through cooperation with KOICA, passive cooling blanket testing was conducted with strawberry farmers in Uganda, expanding the technology's reach.
• Buule FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership for presenting cooling blanket technology at local markets in Uganda, facilitating community adoption.
• UN-HabitatminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023FoodLAND was invited to attend the 3rd International Forum on Urban-Rural Linkages (IFURL) in China and present on the Food Hub approach.
• Global Diet Quality ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration with Gallup, Harvard Department of Global Health and Population, and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition to test Diet Quality Questionnaire tools in project countries.
• Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SUA is a key African partner leading WP4 on technological research along the supply chain. They developed improved bean lines with enhanced nutrient contents and lead agricultural/horticulture production research and primary processing technologies including milling processes for composite flours.
• Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna (UNIBO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020UNIBO coordinates and supervises project research and innovation activities. They lead WP1 on management and coordination, as well as technological research in primary and secondary food processing including centrifugation, filtration, bio-based packaging, and innovation pilots.
• Elhuyar FundazioacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Elhuyar leads WP6 on networking, communication, dissemination and exploitation, while also ensuring gender perspective integration. They contribute communication services and gender equality expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• InnoFoodAfrica: EU Horizon 2020 sister project explicitly partnered with FoodLAND at the FNSSA Sister Project Synergy Summit, focused on developing and demonstrating innovations for African food systems. Operates in adjacent but overlapping African geographies with comparable research-to-innovation pipelines.
• HealthyFoodAfrica: EU Horizon 2020 FNSSA sister project collaborating with FoodLAND on African agri-food system transformation. Mirrors FoodLAND's grant-funded, multi-country consortium model targeting food security and nutrition outcomes in Africa.

Others

• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): Africa-focused agricultural transformation organization supporting smallholder productivity, seed systems, and post-harvest management. Overlaps FoodLAND's smallholder farmer training and yield-improvement approach.
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): Global food policy research institute with deep African focus on nutrition, food security, and smallholder livelihoods. FoodLAND's Diet Quality Questionnaire collaboration with the Global Diet Quality Project overlaps IFPRI's nutrition measurement work.
• Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT: CGIAR center focused on agricultural biodiversity and improved crop varieties for smallholder farmers. Comparable to FoodLAND's agro-biodiversity and improved bean/sorghum variety work.
• WorldFish: CGIAR-affiliated research center on aquatic food systems. Comparable to FoodLAND's aquaculture working group activities on recirculating systems, alternative feeds, and small-scale farmer fingerling production in East Africa.

Broad incumbents

• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA): CGIAR-affiliated institute focused on tropical agriculture in Africa, including improved legume varieties (notably beans with biofortified traits), food processing, and smallholder farmer engagement, directly overlapping FoodLAND's legume and nutrition work.
• DSM-Firmenich Nutritional Products: Global leader in nutritional ingredients and fortified foods (including micronutrient fortification for staple crops). Represents the incumbent commercial pathway that biofortified composite flours and therapeutic foods from FoodLAND could partner with or compete against.
• CGIAR: Largest global agri-food research consortium addressing food security through crop breeding, sustainable agriculture, and genetic resources. Provides comparable research-driven output (improved crop varieties, processing techniques) at a much broader scale than FoodLAND.

Regional players

• AfricaRice: CGIAR center leading rice research for Africa with headquarters in Côte d'Ivoire. Operates in similar geographies as FoodLAND with comparable crop improvement and value chain development missions for African food systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FoodLANDafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCE9BtXsmB7n2BheBvx-2afg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/FoodLANDafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodland-africa

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 Nutreal Limited