Britain’s food sector faces two urgent challenges: reducing waste and cutting carbon emissions. Upcycled Plant Power (UPP), established in 2022 by former CEO David Whitewood and Pollybell Farms, has turned this challenge into an opportunity by transforming 70% of broccoli plants into sustainable, hypoallergenic plant-protein ingredients.
UPP today announced a £1.5 million follow-on investment from Elbow Beach, a leading UK climate impact seed investor. This brings the total funding for the company to £3.5 million.
The investment will help accelerate the commercial launch of UPP’s patented Prota™ (protein) and Fiba™ (fibre) ingredient lines and scale the use of its ISO 9001-certified Harvesta robotic harvester.
Using computer vision and machine learning to identify and harvest market-ready broccoli heads
UPP’s mission is to redesign the food system from the ground up to nourish people and the planet without additional environmental costs.
Mark Evans, CEO of UPP, told TFN, “Food manufacturers are facing several significant challenges; together, these issues are creating a challenging environment for food manufacturers, but also opportunities for innovation and growth. We offer food manufacturers a number of ways to respond to these challenges and opportunities, along with the ability to diversify and localise their protein sources.”
The Harvesta system employs computer vision and machine learning to identify and harvest market-ready broccoli heads while collecting stalks, leaves, and stems for ingredient production. This improves harvesting efficiency and raw material use.
UPP rents this advanced harvester to farmers on multi-year contracts and offers modular, on-farm processing units that convert broccoli by-products into high-value food ingredients. Its technology converts broccoli waste into protein, fibre, and sugar fractions used in plant-based meats, bakery goods, soups, and pet foods, supporting UK food security and emissions goals.
Evans added, “We displace soy, pea and wheat-based protein and also meat-based protein, often as part of a hybrid food offer. Our value is that up to 20% inclusion of our products can be used in breads, pasta, sausages, burgers, sauces, smoothies and soups without affecting taste and mouthfeel, while improving cost and nutrition and avoiding allergens.”
The company operates in an emerging competitive landscape with startups like Fooditive in the Netherlands. But UPP stands apart with its patented robotic harvest technology integrated directly with on-farm upcycling, boosting efficiency and sustainability.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, UPP plans to expand beyond broccoli to other high-waste crops, aiming to transform the agricultural supply chain.
Jonathan Pollock, CEO of Elbow Beach, said, “We’re proud to continue to back UPP as they scale a technology that delivers real, tangible value to farmers, turning waste into a powerful resource while solving a challenge for food manufacturers wanting to decarbonise their products. UPP is at the forefront of innovation, aligning directly with the UK Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and its focus on Advanced Manufacturing and Digital Technologies.”
