The Startup Circul’Egg Inaugurates its First Industrial Site in Brittany
November 16 2023On November 10, the startup Circul’Egg, which was selected in an AgroParisTech Foundation call for projects and received assistance from Food’InnLab and support and expertise from AgroParisTech Innovation and the AgroParisTech Department of Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer, officially inaugurated its first industrial site near Rennes, in northwestern France. On the cutting edge of innovation in the field of the circular economy, it has developed an innovative patented process for reusing eggshells.
Recovering and using broken eggshells may seem like a funny idea, but this is a serious project: taking a byproduct normally thrown away (approximately 40,000 tons of eggshells are incinerated annually), recycling it, and using it for biobased applications really is the quintessence of the circular economy, as eggshells, when processed, are rich in useful biomolecules. In particular, the environmentally friendly, biobased calcium carbonate they contain and the collagen-rich powder present in their membranes are full of promising applications and can be transformed from mere waste into products that can be leveraged and sold for use by the food, feed, cosmetics, and even construction industries!
Circul’Egg was lacking a crucial element, however: a place where the eggshells could be mechanically subjected to industrial processing and where these products could be developed on a large scale by processing 15 to 20 tons of eggshells per day.
A new round of fundraising has offered a solution to this problem, enabling the inauguration of this new 1,600 m² (17,000 sq. ft.) factory in Brittany, France, which boasts two production lines and a dedicated R&D laboratory. The region is particularly well suited to the startup’s activities, as northwestern France is home to 75% of the country’s eggshell waste. Conveniently, Circul’Egg has also developed partnerships with 80% of France’s 53 egg processing plants!
To fund its industrial expansion, Circul’Egg was able to count on five million euros in investment from its partners, along with additional support from the region of Brittany and the local intermunicipal federation.
Yacine Kabeche – Founder of Circul’EggOur products have met with unmitigated interest. There is a consensus around the need to find eco-friendly and ethically sound alternatives to traditional sources of calcium carbonate and collagen. This new factory will enable us to meet part of that demand.
A Five Million Euro Investment to Fund the Industrial Site
Circul’Egg raised over five million euros to fund this industrial demonstrator. Two million euros of this funding was raised from investors, including both venture capital funds and business angels.
The young startup was also able to secure financial support from regional and national public partners such as ADEME (the French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management) and BPI France. In addition, the company obtained one million euros in funding from regional banks. The diversity of these sources of funding has enabled Circul’Egg to consolidate its resources to bring its industrialization project to completion.