Start-up creates innovative egg-replacement and functional sports nutrition ingredients from brewer’s yeast
This year, St. Nicholas Day in the canton of Bern was extra special for multi-award-winning start-up Yeastup. That’s because it coincided with the opening of its state-of-the-art production plant in Lyss. The facility can process 40 hectolitres of spent brewer’s yeast per hour for the creation of valuable new functional, vegan-friendly ingredients. Yeastup is currently preparing Series A financing for further scale-up.
The team, led by Yeastup founder Daniel Gnos, invested 10 million Swiss francs in venture capital and several years of intensive research in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) to develop the patented process used by Yeastup to extract the functional yeast protein Yeastin® and dietary fibre ingredient UpFiber® Beta-Glucan from spent brewer’s yeast.
Versatile, vegan and sustainable
The first vegan protein bars produced with Yeastin® were sampled by staff and guests on the facility’s opening day. The yeast proteins perform similar functional tasks to collagen hydrolysate, which is used in many conventional recipes to improve texture, moisture retention and mouthfeel.
“Our Yeastin® NUTRA enables the development of bars with a soft, candy bar-like consistency, without any animal ingredients,” explains Gnos. “This application showcases the technological potential and versatility of our protein fractions. Samples are available on request.”
Yeastin® offers an excellent alternative to animal and plant proteins due to its significantly lower ecological footprint and outstanding nutritional properties. It can also be used as an emulsifier and egg substitute for example in baked goods.
Processing more than 40 hectolitres per hour
At its Lyss site, Yeastup now has a fully equipped food production facility covering approximately 1,700 m² and with 16 employees. Following the start of production for initial samples and pilot batches this year, capacity has been expanded from 1,600 to 4,000 litres of yeast per hour. Regular production at industrial level will start at the beginning of 2026, with a view to becoming a round-the-clock operation.
Yeastup is still in its growth phase and is currently preparing another Series A financing round. The aim is to ramp up production following the successful capacity expansion and accelerate international market development.
“Following the completion of Innosuisse funding and technology financing in 2025, we are now focusing on scaling, product development and building long-term strategic partnerships,” says Gnos. He is highly confident about the next round, adding: “With industrial readiness achieved and initial customer projects underway, now is a very good time for investors to get involved with Yeastup and help shape the next stage of growth.”