‘Protein from Thin Air’: Solar Foods’s Solein Makes US Debut with Ambrosia Collective
Finnish gas fermentation startup Solar Foods’s Solein protein has entered the US with the launch of a new protein powder by Ambrosia Collective’s Planta brand.
Solar Foods, the company behind the CO2-derived Solein protein, has made its debut in the US via a partnership with Ambrosia Collective.
The Finnish startup’s gas-fermented protein powers the latter’s Premium Plant Protein powder, launched under the Planta label. The product is initially being introduced to consumers as a trial, with the companies eyeing a nationwide rollout later this summer.
The ready-to-mix supplement comes in a salted caramel cold brew flavour and packs 20g of complete protein per scoop. It is the first of several Solein-boosted products set to be unveiled in the US this year.
“Solein offers a completely new harvest for humankind: it’s an ingredient unlike anything seen before, and we are delighted that consumers in the US will now be able to experience it,” said Godert Zijlstra, chief commercial and product officer at Solar Foods.
Solein offers complete protein and unparalleled sustainability
Solein is a deep-yellow ingredient made by feeding microbes on gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen instead of sugar, eschewing the need for farmland, water for irrigation, and fertilisers and pesticides.
The microbes are grown in a liquid form, and later dried into a flavourless powder that has 78% protein, 6% fat, 10% dietary fibre, and a macronutrient profile akin to dried soy or algae. Solein has all nine essential amino acids, zero cholesterol or saturated fat, and is packed with iron and vitamin B12. Plus, it has a mild flavour, making it an ideal base for a variety of products.
The main raw materials needed to produce the protein are CO2 and renewable energy, resulting in emissions equal to just 1% of those generated by conventional meat, and 20% of plant proteins. According to Solar Foods’s projections, replacing a kilo of whole milk with Solein could help save 20kg of CO2e.
In fact, Solar Foods calls Solein the “most sustainable protein” on Earth. It can be scaled up to industrial production without any reliance on farming cycles, ensuring a year-round, climate-resilient supply.
The firm’s demo plant, Factory 01, has a capacity of 160 tonnes of Solein per year, which is set to increase to 230 tonnes this year. It’s currently building a large-scale Factory 02, which is expected to begin operations in 2028 and will be able to churn out 12,800 tonnes of Solein annually at €4.30-5.20 per kg.
The Planta protein powder combines Solein with pea protein isolate and sprouted brown rice protein. It delivers 1g of branched-chain amino acids per serving, with just 2g of fat and 110g of calories. Plus, it contains 24 vitamins and minerals.
“To stay on top, you have to stay in touch with what is the latest and greatest,” Ambrosia Collective co-founder Sean Torbati said in a statement.
“We are very proud to be working with Solar Foods to incorporate Solein into our Planta formula and to bring this innovation to consumers through Planta. It is going to be the biggest innovation in the protein space in the last decade, and we look so forward to continuing this process of developing new flavours with Solein,” he added.
Solar Foods to roll out Solein in multiple products this year
Solein has already appeared in a bunch of products in Singapore, including ice creams, chocolate snack bars, mooncakes, and dairy-free lattes with beanless coffee.
The firm self-affirmed the ingredient as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in the US in 2024, and notified the FDA of its determination last year. This is key, given that the self-determination pathway may be in jeopardy under the Trump administration.
Solar Foods is specifically looking to capitalise on the health and performance nutrition category in the country, bolstered by the protein boom. Nearly three in five (57%) Americans plan to prioritise protein this year, and 43% of them are willing to pay more for products enhanced with the nutrient (rising to 54% among younger consumers).
The rise of GLP-1 users from 10% in 2024 to 18% in 2025 has contributed to this boom, since these drugs cause a 5-40% decrease in muscle mass over 8 to 16 months (much more than non-medicated weight-loss approaches and age-related muscle loss). According to Innova Market Insights, 40% of GLP-1 consumers are eating more protein.
“Ready-to-mix protein powders are a major sub-category in the protein space, with ever-growing consumer demand driven, among other things, by the health trend. Protein products are shifting from boosting performance to mainstream across product categories, and they are not just for gym bags, but increasingly used throughout the day to support an active lifestyle,” said Zijlstra.
“We are also very excited about how Ambrosia Collective has incorporated Solein into its Planta product line and brought it to market at remarkable speed, demonstrating a rapid and effective integration of Solein into a finished consumer product,” he added.
Listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Finland, Solar Foods has raised around €83M in funding, and signed supply and product development deals with companies like Superb Food and KelpEat. Solein is now set to be launched in more US products this year, including a line of ready-to-mix protein powders under Pothos’s PRVL brand and a range of gluten-free protein bars by Fermenta.
“While product development timelines vary across companies, we continue to work closely with our customers to support their product development efforts to bring more Solein-powered products to consumers,” Zijlstra said.