Belgian foodtech start-up Koppie has raised pre-seed funding to develop a new coffee alternative made from fermented and roasted pulses.

The investment round was led by Nucleus Capital, with support from Mudcake, Rockstart and several angel investors.

The funding will be used to bring Koppie’s product – a single-ingredient 'Koppie bean' made from locally sourced pulses like chickpeas – to commercial scale by early 2026. The company is in talks with European roasters and retailers to market the product as an ingredient for hybrid blends and lower-caffeine alternatives.

Koppie uses a fermentation and roasting process to create a brewable bean that mimics the taste and ritual of traditional coffee. According to the company, the Koppie bean has received positive feedback from consumer panels and professional tasters, scoring 70/100 from Q-graders. It is allergen-free and expected to contain little to no acrylamide or mycotoxins.

The product is compatible with existing roasting and brewing equipment, making it suitable for integration into current coffee supply chains. Koppie claims it offers environmental benefits including a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions, 60% less land use, and 90% less water use compared to conventional coffee.

Daan Raemdonck, founder of Koppie, said: “We’re not here to replace or badmouth coffee. We’re here to future-proof it. With yields under pressure, and prices rising, we believe novel and hybrid solutions will be essential for coffee companies looking to navigate volatile supply chains.”

Coffee production is increasingly affected by climate change, with studies predicting a 60% drop in suitable growing regions by 2050. The industry is also a major contributor to deforestation and fertiliser use. The European Forest Institute estimates that coffee accounts for up to 6% of Europe’s deforestation footprint. Coffee prices have quadrupled since 2020, with more volatility expected.

Koppie is developing hybrid blends in collaboration with roasting partners. The company sees its product as a way to expand the category with new formats that are lower in caffeine, more sustainable, and aligned with evolving regulations such as the EU’s upcoming deforestation rules.