Since its stunning start, Bloom Biorenewables has continued its upward trajectory at breakneck speed. The start-up, based at the Marly Innovation Center in Fribourg, is one of the first European beneficiaries of the Breakthrough Energy Ventures Europe investment fund launched by Bill Gates to fasttrack the shift to a green and circular economy.

And Bloom certainly has a part to play in this movement thanks to its development of the first ever technology that can selectively convert the most abundant biopolymers on earth – cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are naturally found in wood – into added-value chemical products and high-performance materials. This is good news for consumers who increasingly want products that are renewable, non-polluting and carbon-neutral.

As Florent Héroguel, Bloom’s chief operating officer and co-founder explains, “We can extract the three constituents of biomass – lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose – and convert them into products like flavoring agents, biodegradable plastics and textile fibers.” The company is currently working on a host of projects, including a joint venture with the Belgian-Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut to produce vanillin from sustainable hazelnut shells instead of petroleum. Bloom Biorenewables is also preparing a new round of fundraising in 2022 for the construction of its first biorefinery demonstration plant.