Agritech startup from Sweden, BlueRedGold, has nabbed €2.73 million to build an innovative, modular facility engineered for immediate profitability. The investment round was led by PINC, the venture arm of international food company Paulig, with participation from The Food Tech Lab and PolarVentures.
BlueRedGold is pioneering high-tech indoor automation systems for saffron cultivation. Their systems are designed to recreate ideal growing environments indoors, allowing for multiple saffron harvests annually. It also automates the delicate tasks of picking saffron flowers and separating the stigmas. The company’s vision extends beyond cultivating saffron in Sweden – BlueRedGold aim to license their technology globally for use across the food, medical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries.
Globally, saffron holds immense cultural and economic value, but its cultivation is inherently fragile, lacks consistency, and presents growing sustainability hurdles.
“Demand is already there — not just from food producers, but from the rapidly expanding medical and nutraceutical segments. We’re focused on meeting that need with quality, consistency, and scale. BlueRedGold’s approach brings automation, predictability, and quality to a supply chain we know well, offering a complimentary path forward for future production,” said Erika Hombert, Senior Investment Manager at PINC.
With requests for several tonnes of saffron already received from the nutraceutical, food, and cosmetics industries, BlueRedGold’s strong market interest highlights the significant opportunity to transform the saffron supply chain.
“We’re extremely excited to be supported by this strategic investor consortium. Working with PINC means partnering with a team who deeply understands food, flavour, and the dynamics of supply. Their strategic insights and global reach through Paulig are incredibly valuable as we take this next step. This investment enables us to scale production and start fulfilling the unmet demand we see worldwide, with quality and reliability at the core,” said BlueRedGold’s CEO, Nastaran Baleng-Soultani.
Founded in Stockholm in 2021, BlueRedGold AB is the culmination of years of rigorous research and meticulous production trials. In 2022, the startup achieved a groundbreaking milestone: the launch of the first-ever, industrial-grade, controlled indoor cultivation and year-round saffron production in Åkers Styckebruk, Sweden.
