Koppie secures DOEN funding to build 1,000-ton 2026 fermented pea coffee capacity

Belgian food‑tech startup Koppie of Ghent said mid‑February 2026 it has won follow‑on investment from DOEN Ventures and secured partner industrial milestones that put an indicative 1,000‑ton capacity on track for 2026 to supply first launch partners for a hybrid, fermented pea coffee product. The company said the financing is complemented by a subsidy through the Food Pioneer Accelerators programme and brings cumulative capital raised to more than €2 million.

Koppie reported that the fresh funding will be used to build or secure 1,000 tons of production capacity for 2026, accelerate product development and cover industrial scaling costs needed for a commercial launch targeted by the end of the year. The new DOEN Ventures investment amount was not disclosed; LinkedIn noted total funds raised exceed €2M (reported equivalently as $2.4M), and the Food Pioneer Accelerators support was described as EU‑ and state‑backed.

Manufacturing will follow an asset‑light model that taps into existing partner infrastructure rather than building full proprietary assets. Cofounder Daan Raemdonck said, “We chose an asset-light model where we tap into existing infrastructure. We have found partners that possess the right process steps and excess capacity we require. We’ve brought these partners on board and have successfully tested our process on their equipment. As a result, we have an indicative capacity of 1,000 tons available at the partner site.” Koppie also completed a recent four‑tonne industrial trial production run on partner equipment, a step the company and reporting outlets described as confirming production economics and scalability potential.

Technology and product specifics center on peas as the core feedstock and a patent‑pending fermentation plus roasting process that yields single‑ingredient “Koppie beans.” Koppie’s LinkedIn summary states, “The Belgian startup uses patent‑pending fermentation and roasting technology to transform peas into single‑ingredient coffee 'beans' that can be ground and brewed like traditional coffee.” Raemdonck added that customers are expected to roast the fermented and dried beans themselves: “We see that a large majority of potential customers are seeking to roast our fermented and dried beans themselves in a coffee blend. That’s a competitive advantage our technology brings, given our end-product after fermentation roasts just like coffee and on coffee equipment. That enables them to do it themselves, have more control, and make the product uniquely theirs.”

Commercially, Koppie is positioning the product as a hybrid coffee ingredient to be blended with conventional coffee at ratios of 15–50% to lower price and climate risk while preserving flavour. Koppie’s lineup includes multiple flavours of Koppie beans, blends for espresso and filter, and a Koppie Concentrate for RTD formats, ice cream and baked goods. LinkedIn noted “advanced commercial discussions are already underway with select launch partners,” and Greenqueen reported the 4‑tonne run and the expectation to reach a 1,000‑tonne capacity this year to meet launch partner demand.

Cofounder Dr. Pascal Mertens summed the near‑term priority: “Our focus now is on further cost optimization and scaling all product variants.” Remaining details for confirmation include the exact DOEN investment amount, names and locations of partner sites providing the 1,000‑ton indicative capacity, the precise unit definition used for “ton/tonne,” and technical metrics from the 4‑ton trial run.