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MeliBio develops Mellody, a plant-based, bee-free honey, leveraging proprietary plant-science technology. This approach creates sustainable honey alternatives without relying on traditional honeybees, directly addressing critical issues within food security and the global honey supply chain. It offers an ethical, environmentally conscious alternative to conventionally produced honey.
The company was established in 2020 by Darko Mandich, a former honey industry executive, and American scientist Dr. Aaron Schaller. Their founding insight recognized environmental strain from industrial honey production and the necessity for a sustainable option supporting native pollinator ecosystems, rather than displacing them through commercial bee operations.
Mellody has gained traction with customers ranging from acclaimed culinary establishments to large retail partners. Now part of FoodYoung Labs, MeliBio continues its mission to advance and commercialize sustainable, planet-friendly food products. The company envisions transforming the honey industry by offering alternatives superior for both human consumption and ecological well-being.
MeliBio has raised $13.1M across 7 funding rounds.
MeliBio has raised $13.1M in total across 7 funding rounds.
MeliBio has raised $13.1M across 7 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.2M Other Equity in November 2022.
MeliBio has raised $13.1M in total across 7 funding rounds.
MeliBio's investors include Craig Shapiro, Siddhi Capital, jim Greenbaum, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Darco Capital, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, John Legend, Kevin Love, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, Astanor Ventures.
# MeliBio: A Technology Company Reinventing Honey Production
MeliBio is a food technology company that produces plant-based honey without using bees, addressing sustainability challenges in the $10 billion global honey market.[5] Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Oakland, California, the company combines plant science and precision fermentation to create bee-free alternatives that match the taste, nutrition, and functionality of traditional honey.[2] MeliBio's flagship product, Mellody®, debuted at the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park restaurant and has since scaled to major retailers including Aldi, demonstrating commercial viability beyond niche markets.[1][4]
The company's mission centers on reducing dependence on commercial honeybees—which face supply chain fragility and biodiversity pressures—while creating sustainable food solutions.[1][5] In May 2025, MeliBio was acquired by FoodYoung Labs, a Swiss food group, in a strategic move to accelerate product development and global commercialization of its bee-free technology.[1]
MeliBio was founded in 2020 by Darko Mandich, a former honey industry executive and Serbian immigrant, and Dr. Aaron Schaller, an American scientist and amateur chef.[5] Mandich's background in the commercial honey sector gave him firsthand insight into what he described as "one of the most unsustainable agricultural sectors with broken supply chain and quality issues."[5] This insider perspective, combined with Schaller's scientific expertise, positioned the founders to develop a technological solution rather than simply critique the status quo.
The company gained early validation through prestigious partnerships. Mellody® first appeared on the menu at Eleven Madison Park, providing immediate credibility in high-end culinary circles.[1][4] This early traction with premium establishments demonstrated product quality and opened doors to broader distribution. By 2021-2022, MeliBio had scaled manufacturing to serve B2B and foodservice clients, and by late 2024, the company had achieved price parity with American honey—a critical milestone for mainstream market penetration.[6]
MeliBio operates at the intersection of alternative proteins, precision fermentation, and sustainable food systems—three of the fastest-growing segments in food tech. The company addresses a genuine market failure: commercial honeybee populations face disease, pesticide exposure, and supply chain volatility, creating both ethical and practical pressure on food manufacturers to find alternatives.[1][5]
The timing is critical. Consumer demand for sustainable, clean-label ingredients is accelerating, and major food companies (KIND, General Mills, cosmetics brands) face mounting pressure to reduce reliance on conventional honey.[3] Simultaneously, precision fermentation technology has matured enough to become economically viable at scale, moving beyond proof-of-concept into commercial production.[2]
MeliBio's success validates a broader thesis: technology can solve agricultural sustainability challenges while maintaining product parity with conventional alternatives. The company's trajectory from luxury restaurants to mass retail demonstrates that alternative proteins and fermentation-based foods are transitioning from novelty to infrastructure.
MeliBio's acquisition by FoodYoung Labs signals confidence that bee-free honey has crossed the chasm from innovation to scalable business. The next phase will likely focus on expanding precision fermentation capabilities to enhance nutritional authenticity, entering new geographic markets, and potentially licensing technology to larger food manufacturers.[1][2]
The company's path forward hinges on three factors: maintaining cost competitiveness as production scales, securing regulatory approval for fermentation-derived ingredients across jurisdictions, and converting mainstream consumer awareness into sustained demand. If MeliBio executes on these fronts, it could become a template for how precision fermentation solves real-world agricultural problems—transforming not just honey, but how the food industry approaches sustainability at scale.
