The Nest joined Biotope Group as a minority shareholder

May was an exciting month for The Nest, with the announcement that The Nest is joining Biotope Group as a minority shareholder to further grow the organic food market. The Biotope Group, containing several successful companies, is focused on making high-quality organic food accessible across Belgium and the Netherlands by building a sustainable, transparent, and reliable supply chain.

The Biotope Group is committed to supporting local farmers, reducing their environmental footprint, and promoting healthier lifestyles through distribution of ethically sourced organic products to both retail and wholesale customers.

Currently, the Biotope Group is serving their retail and wholesale customers, both directly as with their valued franchisees, in over 125 locations.

"We are deeply committed to the relationship between food, health, and sustainability, with organic food being a key component. Our goal is to increase awareness in these areas and support the expansion of both the organic food market and Biotope Group, which exemplifies family entrepreneurship. This marks the start of a lasting partnership."
Els Thermote, founder and CEO of The Nest

Learn more about The Nest’s investment in Biotope Group in the press release.

The Nest News

Our Nest is growing! We were excited to welcome Johanna Delmelle to our team in May. She will join us as Impact Coordinator. Johanna has several years of experience in biodiversity and climate consulting, and she will focus on driving and measuring the impact of our projects, ensuring our portfolio aligns with our purpose.

From the Farm

This month, we consider the challenge of farming as Belgium is having its driest spring season in 132 years. It’s a stressful time for all farmers, and it has been a testament to the value of the agroecological approach at Domaine de Graux.

Despite the drought, the crops are doing well with both malted barley and wheat thriving, and the hay mown and drying to feed our Black Angus cows this winter.

We have good soil and the practices we use help retain water, including planting cover crops between each harvest, using a complex 10-year crop rotation with 3 years of alfalfa, and minimal soil disturbance to preserve its structure. The result: living soils that are better equipped to withstand water stress. Water is absorbed more efficiently, retained for longer, and deeply rooted crops remain resilient despite the extreme conditions.

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Portfolio News

Edacious

Eric Smith of Edacious was interviewed for the RegenBrands podcast, “Helping Brands Prove That Regenerative Products Are More Nutritious.”

Edacious’ partner, the Nutrient Density Alliance, announced early results from their Regen Protein Project, an initiative to compare nutritional profiles of regeneratively raised proteins to conventional products. The project results identified lower fat, healthier fats, a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, and higher protein for regeneratively-raised meats, up to 9% more protein compared to conventional products for one chicken brand tested.

The team at Edacious welcomed their latest team member, Ryan Lauer, Sales Account Executive.

Ardo

Since 1 September 2024, Sabine Sagaert has been at the helm of Ardo as its CEO. In this conversation, Sabine shares more about her first impressions, future plans, and her vision for the company.

Ardo published their Market & harvest report march-april 2025. After a very wet winter and an unusually dry start to april, water reserves across Ardo's fields are full and sowings got underway early under optimal conditions. Despite some crop-specific constraints, Ardo expects to bridge smoothly into next season.

"Each season reminds us that agriculture is both a science and a relationship—with nature, our farmers and our communities. We continue to monitor field conditions, innovate our sustainable practices and adapt hand-in-hand with our partners. Let’s preserve nature’s gifts—together."
Ardo

AgFunder News

AgFunder released its latest report, “AgFunder Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2025.” The must-read insights include a mix of bright news and context on market challenges. Global agrifoodtech showed some signs of recovery in 2024, reporting only a 4% drop from 2023.Markets including the US, Netherlands, and India showed increased investment, with some mega deals in the US and India both.

“By the numbers: agriculture’s resource-intensive reality (and possible solutions),” a new study by study from RA Capital Management’s Planetary Health Team and The Nature Conservancy.

Latest Interview: What is holding back the bioeconomy? In conversation with Boston Bioprocess CEO Dr. Michael Tai

EA Foods on leveraging tech to connect Africa’s smallholder farmers to fairer markets and incomes

Steward

Steward’s latest opportunity, funding for StarWalker Farms to purchase a USDA-Inspected processing facility, was fully funded on May 27.

Walden Bank

Walden Bank announced their latest partnership with Assabet Co-op Market in Maynard, MA. In their latest blogpost, the team explains the long history of banking and co-op collaboration, and Assabet’s role as a community hub and a model for sustainable, just food system.

Quick Organics

Quick Organics is celebrating a milestone for organic certification. A Meaningful Purpose at Reed's Farm is the first operation to officially submit their Organic System Plan (OSP) using the Common OSP - and Pennsylvania Certified Organics is the first certifier certifier to accept it. The Common OSP reduces redundancy, improves clarity, and creates a shared framework that works across certifiers - making the process smoother for everyone involved.

Agricarbon

Agricarbon welcomed Juan Rébori as Senior Business Development Consultant.

Monarch Tractor

Monarch’s latest news includes a case study on the time to payback for the MK-V Dairy tractor, as the 4000 hours of reliable use added up fuel cost savings. In other Monarch customer updates, Gamble Estates winery was featured on KPIX CBS News Bay Area, for their application of Monarch’s Agtech AI technology.

Olombria

Olombria participated in the FLYTHRIVE project, a £1.3 million initiative supported by Innovate UK, that integrates cutting-edge AI with the natural power of aphid-feeding hoverflies to create a robust bio-pest control system. Project partners include Niab, Natural Resources Institute, Asplins Producer Organisation Ltd, and The Summer Berry Company.

Foundation News

biotope by VIB

May was a busy month for biotope by VIB with the announcement of the startups joining their Cohort 7 this spring. The ten startups are focused on agriculture, biomanufacturing, food, and biomaterials, and includes: B-COS (Belgium), BugBiome (UK), Carapace Biopolymers (Netherlands), Fluvion (Germany), Hayden Biotech (Netherlands), Narval (USA), POLYMERA (Uruguay), Seedling Biosystems (USA), The Good Pulse Company (UK), and Typcal (Brazil).

Also in May, Ilana Taub joined Team biotope as their new Stakeholder Manager. In this role, she will be working closely with their portfolio companies and partners to strengthen relationships, drive collaboration, and help startups thrive across the biotope ecosystem.

biotope was nominated for the Hustle Awards 2025 in the category 'Outstanding Startup Support'! The Readers Choice award is open as well for biotope, and you can support their nomination at this link.

Annick Verween, head of biotope, was on a panel discussion for the podcast “Building Better Nutrition: A Systems View on Innovation, Sustainability & Functionality” with Protein Production.

Top 50 Farmers

In May, Top 50 Farmers began featuring farmer stories from their inaugural cohort, including:

Jessica Dunlop, founder of Can Purtell, 35-hectares of formerly abandoned farmland on Ibiza where Jessica works to revive the island’s ancient grains and market for heritage flours.
Arianne Lotti, of Tenuta San Carlo, who transformed her 480-hectare family farm in Tuscany from conventional to regenerative and pioneered organic rice cultivation in the region.
Lars Olav Stavnes, of Reppe Søndre, a 100-hectare family farm that is a model for regenerative peri-urban agriculture and social inclusion in Norway.
Howard Koster, Biesterhof, as a new farmer at age 36, he transformed part of a former conventional dairy farm into 25 hectares of plant-based food production.

Cindie Christiansen, Co-Founder of Top 50 Farmers participated in the panel discussion, “Finding Common Ground for the Agricultural Transition” at the ChangeNOW 2025 event.

Other News and Updates

The Nest Journal

We continued our Seed to Soil journey this month with an overview of the journey from wild plant to domesticated seed. This article walks through the key steps we take to turn untamed nature into reliable, cultivated crops.

Anouk Part of Expert Climate Panel

Anouk Schoors participated in the inaugural event from the Helios Foundation, "Zero: From Vision to Reality." The event, held in Brussels, brought together leaders, researchers, and changemakers to collaborate on making meaningful impact for Belgium's climate future.

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