IntegriCulture Secures Niigata Investment Using Sake Byproducts

Japanese cellular agriculture firm IntegriCulture raised undisclosed funding from Niigata Venture Capital, leveraging sake lees and algae residue as raw materials for cell cultivation, highlighting innovative resource use in cultured meat production.

IntegriCulture has secured investment from Niigata Venture Capital, using sake lees and algae residue as raw materials for cell cultivation. The funding, made through the Regional Revitalization Niigata Fund No. 2, was announced without a disclosed amount. The investor highlighted IntegriCulture’s innovative use of local resources. “We are realizing the depth of brewing and fermentation techniques and their compatibility with cells,” the company noted. IntegriCulture, founded on 23 October 2015 and headquartered in Tokyo, supplies culture media, equipment and contract development. Its CulNet System produces growth components inside the culture setup, and in 2022 the firm reported cultivating cells without animal serum at an estimated 1/60th of the cost of conventional serum. In Niigata Prefecture, IntegriCulture partners with Ichimasa Kamaboko, Tsunan Sake Brewery, universities and food service businesses. A joint R&D agreement with Tsunan Sake Brewery aims to prototype cell‑cultured food and cosmetic ingredients using the brewery’s natural water, with plans to install IntegriCulture’s culture equipment at the brewery. Co‑CEO and CTO Kazuhiko Kawashima said the company draws directly on brewing practice. “We have also had new discoveries, such as cells growing in brewing water and sake lees, and we are realizing the depth of brewing and fermentation techniques and their compatibility with cells,” he added. Toshihiko Nagase, Representative Director of Niigata Venture Capital, described the cellular agriculture infrastructure as having “a very high affinity with Niigata Prefecture’s rich industrial base and regional resources, such as fermentation, brewing, and food processing.” IntegriCulture will allocate the funding toward cosmetic raw materials, aiming for earlier income, and will expand its sales team, regional partner network and in‑house research on infrastructure technology. On the food side, IntegriCulture previously raised $7 million in Series A‑plus funding and received $18.7 million from the Japanese government to demonstrate its cultivated foie gras and serum platforms. The firm has also developed prototype products from cultivated duck liver. CEO Yuki Hanyu announced that construction of a food tech industry cluster has formally started in Niigata, calling it an opportunity to co‑create an ecosystem that supports the future of the food industry in a region where food and fermentation culture are deeply rooted.

Read source: Cultivated X