A new production facility launched by the Latvian women-founded biotechnology company SpirulinaNord will significantly increase production capacity and enable entry into export markets. According to the company, this is the most advanced spirulina biotechnology plant in Europe - possibly even the world.
SpirulinaNord is the only company in Northern Europe that grows and offers fresh tropical microalgae spirulina, considered one of the most nutrient-dense food products. Globally, spirulina is typically cultivated in open ponds, exposing it to weather and contamination. In contrast, SpirulinaNord has developed its own cultivation system where the algae grow in controlled, optimal conditions, ensuring consistently high quality throughout the year.
The research and development of this innovative production facility took over seven years. The idea of growing tropical algae in a cold climate originated in autumn 2017 at Riga Technical University. The planning and construction of the plant took an additional nine months.
“Learning about spirulina’s valuable properties - it has even been recognized by the United Nations as the most valuable food product in the world — and seeing its rising global demand, we moved from applied research to business,” says company founder and CEO Agnese Stunda-Zujeva. “Research still plays a vital role, as our production is based on in-house developed photobioreactors or 'smart aquariums'. While photobioreactors for other unicellular algae exist worldwide, they are not suitable for spirulina.”
Sixfold Increase in Production Capacity
More than one million euros have been invested in the facility, including 383,900 EUR in funding from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. The first stage of the facility is now complete, increasing production capacity from four to 24 cubic meters. In the second phase, an additional 20-cubic-meter photobioreactor will be installed.
This expansion will allow the company to operate more actively in export markets—a goal since its founding. Until now, most of the product was sold domestically due to limited capacity. The increased output will enable a stronger focus on markets such as Lithuania and other European countries.
From Idea to Enterprise
The concept of cultivating tropical algae in Latvia’s cool climate was born in autumn 2017. To develop the business idea, the team joined Riga Technical University’s pre-incubation program IdeaLAB and used support tools from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, offered by RTU’s Science and Innovation Center.
In 2019, after participating in the EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator Latvia—a program for rapid business growth and value creation—the company was founded. That same year, the first bioreactor prototype was launched, and product manufacturing and sales began. Funding was also secured through various programs of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency and the young entrepreneurs’ grant program (ie)dvesma, organized by SEB Bank and local municipalities near Riga.
In 2023, SpirulinaNord secured 600,000 EUR in funding from the Buildit Latvia accelerator, a private investor, and a grant from the Rural Support Service’s aquaculture program, as reported by Labs of Latvia.
Food of the Future
According to Stunda-Zujeva, global demand for spirulina is rising rapidly due to its high nutritional value. She states that spirulina is one of the most nutrient-rich foods in the world, containing all essential amino acids and a vast array of antioxidants and vitamins, thus earning its status as a "superfood." Moreover, it is environmentally sustainable. This is why NATO and the UN recognize it as a food of the future.
“In China and most of Europe, spirulina is typically dried due to microbiological risks, but our fresh product will continue to have high potential and relatively little competition,” she adds.
SpirulinaNord offers fresh spirulina in apple juice, as well as in quince or cranberry syrup. “These products are not pasteurized in order to preserve all bioactive compounds. We also continue to offer fresh frozen spirulina, which was our first product and remains very popular among loyal customers,” explains A. Stunda-Zujeva, emphasizing that such products are not made anywhere else in the world.
