Which startups partnered with major food brands to commercialize 3d-printed food?
Executive summary
Several food‑tech startups have moved beyond lab demos and struck commercial partnerships with established food brands to bring 3D‑printed foods into retail, hospitality and manufacturing channels: Revo Foods partnered to launch 3D‑printed salmon in REWE supermarkets [1] [2]; Spanish startup Cocuus teamed with Foody’s and Carrefour and has ties to Cargill for scale [3] [4]; Steakholder Foods inked commercial deals with Wyler Farms and institutional partners including a Gulf Cooperation Council body and ITRI [5] [3]. These deals show real commercialization, but also underline persistent scale and throughput constraints [2] [6].
1. Revo Foods — supermarket distribution and industry collaborations
Vienna‑based Revo Foods progressed from R&D to retail when it launched a 3D‑printed vegan “salmon” fillet in REWE stores in Austria, and has publicly documented collaborations with Belgian developer Paleo to improve product realism — a partnership supported by funding and industrial facility expansion claims reported in sector press [1] [2] [7]. These moves mark one of the clearer examples where a 3D‑printed alternative entered mainstream grocery shelves rather than remaining a pilot or chef experiment [1] [2].
2. Cocuus & Foody’s/Carrefour — industrializing plant‑based bacon
Spanish 3D‑printing outfits Cocuus and Foodys (sometimes reported as Foody’s) joined forces to industrialize bio‑printed plant‑based products and began marketing a 100% vegetable bacon that rolled into Carrefour stores in Spain under the partner brand, an early example of scaled retail placement for printed alternatives [3] [4]. Cocuus’ earlier collaboration with Cargill and investment partners such as Big Idea Ventures are cited as enabling commercialization and capacity growth at its Northern Spain facility, which the companies claim can produce industrial volumes [3] [4].
3. Steakholder Foods — printer sales and private‑sector deals
Israeli startup Steakholder Foods has pursued a hybrid commercial path: selling its 3D Fusion Pro printer and proprietary “ink” blends to manufacturers and signing private‑sector agreements — notably with Wyler Farms — while also engaging governmental and institutional contracts aimed at food‑security applications across the Gulf region [5] [3]. Those sales and contracts illustrate a commercialization model focused on enabling other producers to adopt printing technology rather than becoming a consumer brand themselves [5].
4. Redefine Meat, BeeHex, and other early movers in brand tie‑ups
Redefine Meat, primarily known for 3D‑printed whole‑cut plant‑based meats, has expanded distribution through wholesaler and hospitality partnerships — including tie‑ups with hospitality brand Selina and large meat importer Giraudi Meats — showing how printed or extruded plant‑based meat analogues enter foodservice and wholesale networks [8]. Pizza‑focused BeeHex has long explored partnerships with pizza chains and restaurants to deliver customizable printed pizzas, indicating interest from legacy operators in on‑premise printing solutions [9].
5. byFlow, Verstegen and the sauce/paste cartridge route
Collaborations have also appeared in ingredient and equipment niches: Dutch 3D‑printing firm byFlow partnered with Verstegen, a Dutch sauce and soup manufacturer, to pair printers with pre‑prepared paste cartridges — a model aimed at food manufacturers and foodservice rather than direct consumer products [6]. Natural Machines’ Foodini and similar platforms have historically targeted chefs and high‑end kitchens, showing another commercialization avenue where established culinary operators adopt printing devices [10].
6. Context, scale limits and commercial motives
While these partnerships demonstrate tangible commercial activity — supermarket launches, retail rollouts, printer sales and ingredient‑manufacturer collaborations — several sources emphasize that throughput, cost and niche positioning remain material barriers to mass replacement of traditional production methods, and many startups are positioning themselves as contract manufacturers or equipment suppliers to established brands rather than direct consumer giants [2] [6]. Readers should note that some coverage doubles as promotional industry reporting and that large food companies’ motives include PR, sustainability signaling and supply‑chain diversification as much as near‑term profit from printed products [3] [11].