Startup Duplaco delivers algae for Jumbo Algae Burger

Last week, Jumbo supermarkets introduced the Algae Burger. These meat substitute burgers are made from spirulina, an algae species that already exists for 3.5 billion years. The algae are supplied by StartLife startup Duplaco based in Hengelo.

The algae veggie burger is a beautiful addition to the landscape of vegetarian products, according to Ed van de Weerd, Director of Commerce at Jumbo: “Jumbo wants to offer its customers a maximum of choice including the largest range. The offer in our supermarkets will not be extended only if the customer asks for it, but we also want to inspire customers with special and innovative products like this new algae burger. ”

Sustainable product

According to ‘Damhert’ producer of the Jumbo burgers algae offer the possibility to create a more sustainable food chain, using only sunlight and salt water as an energy source for growth.

Healthy

The Belgian producer writes on her website that since the sixties, extensive research has been conducted on the nutritional benefits of spirulina. There are now more than 100,000 studies and articles published on the health benefits. The algae contribute to a healthy immune system, are a provider of energy and contribute to healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The Algae Burger at Jumbo exists for 60 to 70% of protein. The spirulina algae is rich in antioxidants and contains  vitamins, minerals, and several unsaturated fatty acids.

Increasing the production of algae at Duplaco

Marcel Oogink of Duplaco is excited about the launch of the algae burger: “We are pleased with the success of the algae burger and proud that we can contribute with our Spirulina algae. The development of this product started in early 2015, the pleasant cooperation with chain partners has encouraged us to put more energy on product introductions in both the food and feed.
For human applications, we do this via the EFRO project ‘De Groene Eiwitversneller’. To meet the growing demand, we will significantly increase our production in the coming years. This is possible with help of CQ Green Protein Fund, our new external investor. ”