Coffee Alternative Startup Founded by Former Alpro Exec Closes Pre-Seed Funding Round

Belgian startup Koppie, founded by former Alpro Marketing Director Daan Raemdonck, has closed a pre-seed funding round led by Nucleus Capital. The startup is developing a coffee alternative using locally-sourced legumes and fermentation, with a patent-pending formula that can be used in various coffee formats. The funding will be used to scale up production and bring the product to market by early 2026, with talks already underway with coffee roasters and retailers for commercial partnerships.

Koppie's coffee alternative boasts environmental benefits, generating 70% fewer CO2 emissions, requiring 60% less land, and 90% less water compared to conventional coffee production. The startup aims to address supply chain issues and rising prices in the coffee market, offering a solution that appeals to both consumers and coffee companies. Other startups worldwide, such as Singapore's Prefer and US-based Voyage Foods, are also working on coffee alternatives to meet the evolving needs of consumers and the industry.