Brevel, Coffeesai Team Up to Optimize Production with Illuminated Fermentation

Brevel is advancing the future of climate-resilient, science-driven plant cell-culture production

Key takeaways:

• Brevel validates illuminated fermentation platform to accelerate production of Coffeesai's coffee cell cultures to commercial volumes
• Proprietary biomanufacturing technology helps overcome a major challenge in plant cell culture by stimulating the production of beneficial natural compounds and increasing overall production efficiency.
• The Israel Innovation Authority granted Brevel USD1M specifically to extend the illuminated fermentation platform to plant cell-culture companies

KIRYAT GAT, Israel, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Brevel, Ltd. enters fully into the plant cell-culture market to help companies scale-up production and enhance nutrients yield, utilizing its proprietary illuminated fermentation platform. Brevel is partnering with Coffeesai, a coffee cell-culture company to use light as a key factor in promoting the growth of coffee cells, and accelerate the transition from lab to commercial scale production.

Traditional agriculture depends on weather, seasons, water availability, and land. One bad year and entire supply chains fall apart. Plant cell culture (PCC) changes that equation completely, by directly growing single plant cells in suspension, generating consistent output, minimal land and water use, and year-round production regardless of outside conditions.

Illuminated fermentation is next-level technology that combines fermentation with light, unlocking capabilities that traditional dark fermentation simply can't attain. This landmark achievement in cellular production delivers consistent and continuous generation of valuable natural compounds and optimizes yield and costs. 

Case study with Coffeesai

Brevel collaborates with Coffeesai to explore its illuminated fermentation technology at the R&D stage and assess its potential to support future scale-up.

Traditional coffee (especially high-quality Arabica) is highly sensitive to temperature shifts. Climate change is rapidly shrinking the amount of viable land suitable for coffee farming, with some estimates suggesting up to 50% of current coffee-growing land could be unusable by 2050.

"Our work in coffee cell cultures serve as a case study for the capabilities of our illuminated fermentation infrastructure," explains Yonatan Golan, CEO and co-founder of Brevel. "Our recent work has demonstrated the platform's ability to achieve high cell densities while sustaining continuous growth through an advanced semi-continuous cultivation process, paving the way for scalable and efficient production."

"We are encouraged by the initial results from Brevel's platform and its potential to influence certain aspects of the sensory profile," notes Ami Herman, CEO of Coffeesai. "We continue to evaluate its capabilities as we advance our development efforts and determine future production pathways."

The core of the process is the use of controlled light exposure within the fermenter to actively influence the cell's output. In the trials, it was observed that manipulating the specific light profile can enhance the flavor and aroma characteristics of the resulting biomass by modulating the expression of desirable value-added compounds. Success in the trials was defined by achieving stable, high-density cultivations output alongside measurable, light-dependent improvements in the quality attributes of the biomass.

"The Israel Innovation Authority granted Brevel USD1M specifically to expand our illuminated fermentation platform into plant cell culture and adjacent industries," adds Golan. "This collaboration is part of a broader strategy to make our platform accessible to innovators working with light-driven biology. Alongside Coffeesai, we have also partnered with Ayana Bio, a US-based plant cell technology company as well as with a cocoa cell-culture startup."

The platform advantages

Brevel's illuminated fermentation technology is the first to combine controlled fermentation with light in a closed system on commercial scale. By successfully taking fermentation out of the dark, Brevel created a platform for manufacturing microorganisms and plants that rely on light-driven metabolism for growth.

For plant cell culture, this approach addresses key limitations of traditional dark fermentation by applying precise light profiles that gently trigger cells to produce valuable compounds. It supports higher and more consistent growth rates, reduces costs, and improves the metabolite profile, including phenols and other bioactive ingredients.

The business model

Brevel applies a three-phase business model. The first developmental stage involves initiation of feasible and proof-of-concept projects using Brevel's illuminated fermentation platform. The second scale-up stage kicks off pilot production at Brevel's manufacturing facility which operates illuminated fermenters at scales of 50L, 500L and 5,000L, under food quality assurance certifications (FSSC 22000 and HACCP). And the final commercial stage sees full production of high-value products at Brevel or within the joint venture and manufacturing partnerships established by Brevel.

About Brevel

Brevel, a climate biotech company, was founded to address the expanding demand for sustainable, resilient, and affordable ingredients for the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Brevel is the first company to develop and scale illuminated fermentation from lab bench to 5,000L commercial volume. The company's proprietary technology was first applied to microalgae, and successfully marketed to the nutraceutical industry. Brevel has secured USD30M in funding to expand into additional industries where its technology will bring high value.

Company Contact:
Brevel
Yfah Burstin, CBO
E-mail: [email protected] 
Web: www.brevel.co.il

Press Contact:
NutriPR
Liat Simha
Tel: +972-9-9742893
E-mail: [email protected] 
Web: www.nutripr.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2998187/Brevel_and_Coffeesai.jpg

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SOURCE Brevel, Ltd.