Noriware secures investment of 4.3 million euros
Lupfig - The start-up Noriware AG, co-founded and led by CEO Jessica Farda, has raised 4.3 million euros in a financing round. The company plans to use this fresh capital to launch norifresh, its seaweed-based, plastic-free packaging solution for fruit and vegetables, and to expand in Europe.
(CONNECT) The material start-up Noriware from Lupfig in the canton of Aargau has closed a seed funding round in the amount of 4.3 million euros. With this fresh capital, the company plans to prepare the market launch of norifresh in 2026, as detailed in a statement. Norifresh is a seaweed-based packaging solution that can be used as an alternative to conventional plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables.
Norifresh is a fully biodegradable, transparent film that can be heat-sealed directly onto cardboard and easily peeled off after use. As initial pilot trials have demonstrated, it can be used by fruit and vegetable packaging companies without requiring any changes to existing machinery or packaging designs.
The material used in norifresh is made entirely of natural, renewable raw materials. The main component is in fact seaweed, which does not require pesticides, fertilizers or freshwater and also grows up to ten times faster than trees. In this way, the CO2 footprint of norifresh is up to 89 percent lower than that of conventional PET.
Against the backdrop of the EU’s new packaging and packaging waste regulation, which bans the use of disposable plastic packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables from 2030, demand for the new film is already high. “Noriware has secured six-figure pre-orders for the coming year, some including advance payments for initial deliveries”, according to the press release. Moreover, the company is working to further expand its customer network across the EU and is in the process of optimizing the material properties for industrial-scale use. Noriware was founded in 2022 by Jessica Farda (CEO) and Stefan Grieder (COO). ce/nta
