Upcycled Plant Power (UPP), a British food technology company turning surplus broccoli crops into protein and fibre ingredients, has raised £3.5 million to accelerate its commercial rollout.
The company produces plant-based, hypoallergenic ingredients for food manufacturers targeting lower emissions and improved sustainability across product lines such as meat alternatives, bakery items, soups, sauces, and pet food.
Its process uses robotic harvesting and upcycling technology to capture around 70% of the broccoli plant that is normally discarded. This converts a high-waste crop into dual revenue streams for growers while helping manufacturers reduce Scope 3 emissions and enhance supply chain resilience.
The new funding round was led by climate investment firm Elbow Beach, which contributed £1.5 million. Government grants worth £500,000 will extend UPP’s support through to its first commercial revenues.
The capital will fund scaling of UPP’s robotic harvester, Harvesta, and the market introduction of its two core products, Prota (protein) and Fiba (fibre). Trials of Harvesta in Lincolnshire and Scotland demonstrated the system’s ability to automate broccoli picking at speeds of up to 5 km per hour across three rows simultaneously, a step toward improving harvest efficiency and expanding ingredient supply for UK manufacturers.