blue horizon, a global impact investment firm, has invested in the food company Geltor. With this investment, Geltor will be better able to develop a wide range of animal-free gelatin-based products.
Gelatin is in a lot of food – marshmallows, gelatin desserts, and even some foods you wouldn’t expect, like frozen vegetables or yogurt. But it’s also included in a lot of other products, such as cosmetics and even some medicines. Most of the gelatin used today is animal-based, and most of the vegan alternatives don’t quite match up. But Geltor is looking to change that.
Using high-tech and disruptive new approaches, the team at Geltor is working on a new gelatin that is free of animals for use in food, cosmetics, medicine, and beyond. It will also resemble its animal-based counterpart in texture and consistency. This is all thanks to pioneering technology in genetic engineering, where microbes are programmed with the same genes that produce gelatin in animals to “brew” an animal-free gelatin.
This new gelatin will be able to replace any current recipe of gelatin, and can be applicable beyond the realms of food, cosmetics and medicine. As a result, a whole range of products will become cruelty-free and eco-friendly.
Alexander Lorestani is the co-founder and CEO of Geltor. Starting out as a student in molecular biology at Princeton studying the problems with antibiotic resistance, his interest in addressing the problems of agriculture only grew over time. Now he has applied his knowhow to develop a new animal-free gelatin.
Alex Lorestani comments: “We are delighted to welcome blue horizon to the Geltor team. Our focus on designing and manufacturing superior protein ingredients is foundational to the future that Roger and his colleagues are working to build. We look forward to working together to address the urgent challenges and big opportunities in the global protein supply chain.”
Roger Lienhard, Founder and CEO of blue horizon, adds: “We’re making a lot of progress addressing the problems of meat and dairy production, but few have tackled animal byproducts. Geltor is set to do just that with its animal-free gelatin, and we are happy to support the development of their animal-free gelatin products.”
About Blue Horizon
blue horizon was founded in 2015 with the vision that profit-oriented strategies and the common good can be united. blue horizon is a global, mission-driven private sector investment firm focused on scalable ventures that accelerates the global transition towards sustainable food and agriculture. In 2016, the Blue Horizon Foundation was started to support the transformation of farms from animal factories to sustainable plant production facilities.
About Geltor
Founded in 2017, Geltor has been developing an animal-free gelatin meant to not only mimic but also replace the animal-based version entirely. Envisioning a world where food, cosmetics and medicines can go completely animal-free, Geltor is leading the way to build a completely plant-based future.