Modernizing how rare botanicals are sourced
We produce high-value plant-based ingredients—without farming.
The Power of Plants
Plants have the amazing ability to regenerate themselves when injured. At Krokos Bio, we harness that ability through novel biotechnology, allowing us to produce ingredients more affordably, reliably, and sustainably.
The supply chain is cracking…
From saffron to vanilla, sourcing rare ingredients is a constant challenge.
Yields are unpredictable. Quality is inconsistent. Prices are often sky-high. Climate events like droughts and hurricanes only make things worse. Traditional farming is slow to adapt, and even vertical agriculture struggles with scale and cost. Now, rising geopolitical instability is putting even more pressure on global supply chains.
We think it’s time for a better approach—one that doesn’t rely on geography, rainfall, or harvest seasons.
Our Approach: Growing real plant cells in bioreactors
Krokos Bio replaces fields with fermentation tanks, using plant cell culture to produce full-spectrum botanical ingredients from real plant cells. This approach overcomes many of the continuing issues faced by current growers.
Why Plant Cell Culture?
Plant cell culture (PCC) has existed as a practice for many decades. Its most well-known application was for producing Paclitaxel, a plant-derived cancer drug.
However, as advances in PCC and biomanufacturing have progressed, it’s opened up potential applications to food, cosmetics, and materials.
In fact, it now demonstrates multiple benefits over other alternatives:
Climate-Proof
Because manufacturing takes place in bioreactors, production is no longer dependent on rainfall, temperatures, or weather
Cost-Effective
PCC bypasses the need for growing cycles, since cells can be grown 24/7, 365 days a year. Between this, low-cost manufacturing techniques, and innovations in plant science, many botanicals can be produced with positive unit economics.
Sustainable
PCC requires only a fraction of the land, water, and labor needed compared to conventional farming.
True-to-Nature
Since plant cells are being cultivated, ingredients made through PCC can retain the full spectrum of active compounds produced by whole plants. This offers superior quality in flavor, aroma, and health benefits compared to synthetic substitutes.
What We’re Building
Krokos Bio is developing a next-generation plant cell culture (PCC) platform to produce a wide range of botanical ingredients. Our first target is saffron, one of the most expensive ingredients on earth. Its cultivation is plagued by drought, low yields, and the need for intensive manual harvesting. Prices routinely exceed $3,000 per kilogram, and the supply outlook continues to worsen.
Our solution: a food-grade saffron powder that matches the color, flavor, and fragrance of traditional saffron, but with lower costs and a dramatically more reliable supply chain.
