It’s planting season for much of our portfolio’s regions and our farm, Domaine de Graux. Planting season is a time of anticipation. Planning and hoping for the harvest ahead with each seed placed in soil. Expecting one forecast and responding when Nature sends different weather. Tending the start of new growth.
Within the lifetime of a farmer, and the metaphorical planting of seeds in all our lives, there are only so many growing seasons. What we choose to plant matters. For The Nest and our portfolio, these seeds are the start of a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable food system. Every seed we plant renews our purpose. Every success from our portfolio and foundation gives us a sense of gratitude for what we are growing together.
From the Farm
In April, Domaine de Graux renewed its organic certification, a designation for the farm since 2011. Economic challenges, unpredictable weather, lower demand, … Organic certification is not the easiest path, but the Domaine is committed to organic practices and raising healthy, sustainable food!
Spring marks calving season for the Angus herd, and three new calves—Emilia, Victoria, and Justina—have already made their arrival. Meanwhile, the team is gearing up to expand the vegetable garden, with greenhouses set to be installed in the near future.
The farm also hosted an event for Terre & Conscience. Organized by the House of Agroecology, the day included a Living Soils Workshop.
Portfolio News
Astanor
Astanor’s 2024 Impact Report was published, including their Six Impact KPIs (cumulative since 2021):
· GHG emissions: 213,000 metric tons of avoided CO2e
· Biodiversity: 7 million EUR in avoided environmental costs from biodiversity actions like avoided land use and reduced plastic packaging
· Water use: 8 million m3 avoided water use
· Social: 800 million EUR in financing for agricultural projects, including financing for 16,000 farmers and creation of 15,000 jobs
· Health: 50 million healthy products sold, and 19 million people educated about healthy diets
· Impact intelligence: 400,000 products with carbon-footprint measured and 386,000 ha under smart farming management systems
Walden Mutual
“What’s different about Walden is night and day compared to our past experiences with banks. They feel like true partners.”Walden Mutual’s client Ora Organics highlights the bank’s role in building community and success for sustainable businesses.
AgFunder
AgFunder’s latest news highlights their investment, Fibmold, developer of molded fiber packaging that replaces single-use plastics. Omnivore is also an investor in the innovative company.
Edacious
Edacious celebrated three years of innovation in April. Along with partners Bionutrient Food Association and Utah State University, Edacious announced a collaborative project to explore factors that influence the nutrient density of beef.
Quick Organics
Quick Organics launched a video overview of their Quick Organics Certification Assistant (QOCA) tool. The software streamlines the time-consuming tasks of Organic Systems Plans and maintaining records for certification.
Ardo
Ardo believes that the food industry should help drive the energy transition, not just follow it. In Geer (Belgium), Ardo’s Hesbaye Frost site is closing in on energy autonomy, thanks to biomethanisation, solar power, and steam recovery.
Since 2021, Ardo has installed three biomethanisation units that convert vegetable by-products into renewable biogas. That biogas is transformed into electricity and heat via efficient cogeneration units. Ardo’s floating solar installation (Belgium’s first in 2017) still powers their operations from above the irrigation basin. As of 2024, 95% of electricity is self-produced and 25% of fossil gas use is avoided through steam recovery.
A practical example of how Ardo aims to close the loop – turning vegetable waste and wastewater into green energy, and supporting their journey to cleaner energy and lower carbon emissions.
Biotope by VIB
Accelerator biotope by VIB announced their third portfolio addition for 2025: Landman.bio. Landman.bio develop sustainable crop protection using the natural power of bacteriophages, beneficial viruses that specifically target harmful bacteria.
Currently, biotope is reviewing their Spring Basecamp applicants. You can see a sneak peak in biotope’s latest post. Annick Verween, head of biotope by VIB also joined the VCo2 podcast for an episode covering how to bridge the funding gap in biotech startups.
Atomo Coffee
The beanless brew was featured in MSN’s Food and Drink section, in an article on rising coffee prices. MSN highlighted Atomo’s use of upcycled food ingredients and a carbon footprint for their espresso that is 83% lower than coffee beans.
Agricarbon
Agricarbon was featured in The Independent. Agricarbon will be supporting a dairy sustainability program with Nestle and First Milk, measuring soil carbon on pastures.
The company recently hired Andreina Romero as a Senior Business Development Consultant and launched an updated 2025 guide comparing Agricarbon’s direct measurement model to leading MRV platforms.
Antler Bio
Antler Bio was selected join Cohort 4 of Cultivator powered by Conexus’ 3-month AGTECHACCELERATOR programme, in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Monarch Tractor
Monarch Tractor’s CEO and co-founder Praveen Penmetsa was featured on the Leaders on a Mission podcast. Listen to the episode, “Sustainable Agriculture, Farming the Future with Electric Tractors” at links from the Monarch website.
In addition, the first Monarch tractor in the Netherlands will be tested at the FRC Proeftuin Randwijk premises of Wageningen University & Research.
The Nest Journal
This month, The Nest embarked on our Seed to Soil journey. Starting with seed sourcing by Domaine de Graux farmers, we will trace the path from wild plant to the seeds available to farmers. The series will provide in-depth interviews with seed breeders and experts on the regulatory shifts and market complexities. Explore biodiversity loss and climate risk and how seeds can create a resilient food system. We will look at the innovation and risks of technologies that are changing both seeds and the rules that govern what farmers can access and plants. We will unravel how centuries of seed selection contributed to a loss of nutrition in favor of yield, and how we can replant the health of our food supply, soil, and ourselves.
Other News and Media
Laura Katzman (Dyer) of Buoyant Ventures discussed climate tech trends and fundraising trends for climate startups on the Fundraise podcast.
Omnivore and Biowave released a new report, “India’s Life Sciences Startup Investing Report, a 5-year review (2020-2024).”
Zymofix hired Branwen Miles as a Project Manager.
Synthesis Capital shared their key takeaways from Future Food Tech and why they invested in Pow.Bio.
Foundation
Investing in Regenerative Agriculture
The latest podcast in the Regenerative Aquaculture series, supported by The Nest, launched on Investing in Regenerative Agriculture. This episode, “Mercury-free, microplastic-free, and Omega-3 rich: the future of seafood,” features James Arthur Smith, founder of Seatopia. The sustainable aquaculture solution uses a data-driven focus on nutrient density and testing for contaminants.
Top 50 Farmers
Last month, Top 50 Farmers announced their 2025 cohort, including Emilien Rottiers of Domaine de Graux, one of four Belgian farms included. You can learn more about the selected farmers and view a map of their farms at the T50F website.
Upcoming Events
On 6 June, The Nest’s Anouk Schoors will be part of a panel during the Governance Summit, organized by De Bestuurder. The discussion, with Brontie Maria Ansell from Lawyers for Nature, will cover the importance of including nature as a full-fledged member of the board of directors for organizations.
Opportunities
· Ardo has 64 job opportunities, including roles in the UK and Ireland.
· Steward is seeking a contracted Credit Analyst in Australia.
· Arborview Capital has 39 job openings across their portfolio, including roles at Kite Hill and Soli Organic.
· Astanor’s network has 44 jobs across 29 companies, including Machine Learning Engineer and Senior Scientist.
· Buoyant Ventures posted 18 jobs across their portfolio, including 6 roles at Raptor.
· Monarch is hiring for 8 roles including a Regional Sales Manager for the East region.
· Omnivore lists 186 jobs across their 35 portfolio companies.
· One of biotope by VIB’s startups, I-Challenge, is hiring for a Data Scientist or Data Engineer.