Baltic Blue Biotechnology Alliance – first marine bioproduct success
Milestone reached: First natural cosmetics product on the market in Interreg-BSR project.
The Baltic Blue Biotechnology ALLIANCE is happy to announce that Furcella OÜ has launched its first product line, “Berrichi”. Having collaborated closely with Alliance partners for almost a year, Furcella benefitted from the project’s effective mentoring programme. The Estonian start-up brought its line of natural, algae-based anti-ageing creams to the market using a revolutionary active ingredient sourced from Baltic red algae: Furcelleran.
The “Berrichi” range of facial creams includes products for day- and night use and a specialised cream for men. Entrepreneurs Janno and Berit Joosep (Furcella OÜ) cooperated closely with researchers from Tallinn University and were mentored by Tartu Biotechnology Park as part of the Alliance support programme for businesses aiming to develop marine biobased and biotechnology products. The Estonian entrepreneurial couple are experienced in the beauty industry. Through the Alliance network of partners, Furcella came into contact with suppliers of the Baltic red algae raw material from Germany. This innovative, high-end brand of cosmetics places particular emphasis on sustainable production for its environmentally aware customers. Furcella will continue to work with Alliance partners to find a “blue” solution for its packaging: they are currently investigating algae-based bioplastics.
Including Furcella, the Alliance’s portfolio of case studies includes 22 organisations, ranging from start-ups and SMEs to fully-fledged businesses diversifying their portfolios. All are united by the aim of providing a marine biobased product or service “made in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR)”. This initial success story demonstrates the dynamic, transnational cooperation taking place in the BSR within the Alliance project and shows how effective joining forces can be. Look out for more success stories as the Alliance service offer expands from the mentoring programme to include business and legal advice. Whilst Furcella will now set out to enter additional European markets (Germany and Sweden are top of the list), other promising case studies are working on solutions in areas such as environmental monitoring techonology, food supplements and colourants. The Alliance is helping the BSR’s blue biotech companies reach a critical mass and contribute to the region’s blue growth and the bioeconomy. Keep an eye out for the next great product!
The Berrichi is available from the online store and selected pharmacies: https://www.berrichi.ee/
For more information please follow the links: www.balticbluebioalliance.eu or www.berrichi.ee; or contact Efthalia Arvaniti (Submariner Network) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Baltic Blue Biotech ALLIANCE is a 3-year project (2016-2019) led by Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, in Germany. It is part-funded by the Interreg BSR programme under the ERDF.
Our new call for ideas invites all start-ups, spin-offs, SMEs and business with a marine biobased product idea to apply for our mentoring programme. The deadline for submission is 5. March 2018 to join the project in April.