Latvian biotechnology company growing superfood spirulina in unique aquariums

The main product produced by Latvian biotechnology startup SpirulinaNord is spirulina – a nutrient-rich algae which, due to its unique properties, has been deemed a natural superfood and has been known throughout the world for quite some time. The company grows the tropical microalgae in specially designed bioreactors or smart aquariums that are one of a kind in the world. SpirulinaNord products use fresh spirulina combined with Latvian beloved quince and cranberry syrups. Fresh spirulina is lesser known globally, and tasty spirulina is something completely new as opposed to traditional powdered spirulina with a very specific taste.

SpirulinaNord was founded in 2019 when Agnese Stunda-Zujeva, a researcher at Riga Technical University (RTU), created the company together with her team. After obtaining her PhD in chemical technology, Agnese was initially planning to continue her scientific research, but in the face of financial constraints and complex requirements in science, she instead decided to try for a business grant. “In Latvia, there is extensive support available for sustainable and innovative business as compared to the opportunities available in science. For me as a scientist, it was important to see my research being applied in practice, and a company of my own turned out to be the fastest way to achieve that. With the support of excellent mentors my applied research idea turned out to be close enough to being a viable business idea. The algae we chose – spirulina – is a microscopic alga with a broad and studied application in nutrition, cosmetics and elsewhere, therefore it does not fall under the Novel Foods Regulation or have any other major or costly obstacles that are often encountered in the practical application of research results,” Agnese says. 

The company’s innovation is its unique spirulina growing technology: smart aquariums or photobioreactors. Spirulina is usually grown in shallow ponds that are subject to pollution and fluctuating temperatures. “A pond is an open surface water that can be polluted by birds, insects, atmospheric pollution. It isn’t possible to purify such polluted spirulina because it is minuscule, it doesn’t have a thick outer layer,” Agnese clarifies. “Smart aquariums remove this problem ensuring a controlled and clean environment. Moreover, our engineering team has created an ideal home for these million-year-old algae to be able to grow in Latvia throughout the year rather than seasonally and at a higher productivity than even in the best climatic conditions anywhere else in the world.”

Traditionally, spirulina is dried and pulverized resulting in a loss of up to 80% of its valuable nutrients depending on the drying method used. However, SpirulinaNord offers fresh frozen spirulina that does not have the characteristic stale algae or pond water taste and smell that is often found with powdered spirulina. The product range of the company also includes innovative products, such as spirulina in apple juice or in quince or cranberry syrup, which allows it to retain all of its bioactive properties without having to freeze the product. The products are not pasteurised to retain as much of their nutritional value as possible.

The company has grown rapidly; in just a couple of years it has established a stable customer base with demand exceeding current production capacity. The reason behind the popularity of fresh spirulina is its significantly better taste as compared to cheaper spirulina powders and the clinically proven high nutritional value. Spirulina provides the body with antioxidants that help fight off free radicals created by stress, viruses, environmental pollution, and other factors. Although vegetables are natural sources of antioxidants, studies have shown that most people do not consume the required 500 grams of vegetables per day. In turn, spirulina has been deemed a superfood because just 7-10 grams of this algae provides the body with the necessary amount of antioxidants, it contains all three indispensable amino acids, easily bio-available iron, provitamin A and B vitamins.

The company’s production capacity is increasing every year. This year, the company plans to produce 2 tonnes of spirulina, which is equivalent to almost 300 000 servings. The initial plan was to export the majority of the company’s products, because “who in Latvia even knows about spirulina”, but as it turned out, the demand is so high that all the products produced are sold on the local market. Due to rising demand, the company is currently working on establishing a new factory which will increase its production capacity tenfold. Just this year fresh spirulina has become available in stores in Lithuania.

The innovation of SpirulinaNord is not just tasty products, but also their proprietary innovative biotechnological solutions – the smart aquariums or photobioreactors which are unique on a global scale. That is why, in future, the company is planning on continuing the development of this technology and exporting it abroad as a ready-made production system. “Our technology allows us to create factories anywhere in the world, so that locally grown spirulina can be available in mountainous regions, as well as densely populated urban areas where there is no room for agricultural activity. Thus, we can become suppliers of this technology. Moreover, it is a well-tested technology, the effectiveness of which has been proven in our own factory over the course of several years. This line of business development holds huge potential,” Agnese Stunda-Zujeva says.

Information material prepared with the support of the European Regional Development Fund.