Israeli climate biotech company Brevel has formally entered the plant cell-culture sector through a new collaboration with Coffeesai, the cell-based coffee subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Pluri Inc. The partnership will apply Brevel’s illuminated fermentation platform to Coffeesai’s coffee cell cultures, with the goal of moving production from research-scale volumes closer to commercial output.
The work is backed by a $1 million grant from the Israel Innovation Authority, awarded to Brevel specifically to extend its light-based fermentation platform to plant cell-culture (PCC) companies. To date, the technology has been commercialised primarily for microalgae destined for the nutraceutical industry.
Light as a process variable
Brevel’s platform combines fermentation with controlled light exposure inside closed bioreactors, a configuration the company describes as the first to operate at 5,000-litre commercial scale. Applying tailored light profiles to plant cells, according to Brevel, can support higher growth rates, modulate the expression of compounds such as phenols and other bioactives, and improve cost efficiency in production.
In coffee specifically, Brevel reports that adjusting the light profile inside the fermenter can shape the flavour and aroma characteristics of the resulting biomass. Trial success was defined by stable, high-density cultivation alongside measurable, light-dependent improvements in quality attributes.
Yonatan Golan, Brevel co-founder and CEO, stated, “Our work in coffee cell cultures serve as a case study for the capabilities of our illuminated fermentation infrastructure. Our recent work has demonstrated the platform’s ability to achieve high cell densities while sustaining continuous growth through an advanced semi-continuous cultivation process, paving the way for scalable and efficient production.”
Future production pathways
The Coffeesai tie-up is one of several PCC engagements Brevel has signed. The company recently entered a joint development partnership with US plant cell technology firm Ayana Bio, partially funded by the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, and has a separate agreement with a cocoa cell-culture startup.
“We are encouraged by the initial results from Brevel’s platform and its potential to influence certain aspects of the sensory profile. We continue to evaluate its capabilities as we advance our development efforts and determine future production pathways,” noted Coffeesai CEO Ami Herman.
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