Duct Tape Science: The Revyve Origin Story

From green muffins to a protein revolution, this is Duct Tape Science: The Revyve Origin story.

Read through our timeline to see how stubborn optimism (and a gram of yeast powder) took us from two scientists to a 35-strong team, reshaping the food system and the future of food texture.

Where it all started

2016 – Bioprocess Engineering labs of Wageningen University

PhD student Edgar Suárez García, who was deep in the world of autotrophic microalgae biorefineries, meets assistant professor Corjan van den Berg, who was exploring advanced biorefinery concepts.

From Microalgae to Market Realities

The duo explored functional ingredients from autotrophic microalgae – a very promising (and very green!) platform for sustainable proteins.

The technology could be scaled up, and the ingredients showed great potential.

But the reality was not so simple…

Microalgae turned out to be too expensive. And also too green (literary!).

The science worked, but most people didn’t want green muffins or mayonnaise.

And they definitely don’t want to pay extra for the privlidge…

So, we pivoted.

If we really wanted to change the food system, we needed an ingredient that could really replace egg or dairy – not just exist next to them.

A New Discovery in the Lab

2019 – the year that changed everything

Whilst testing alternatives we uncovered that yeast could deliver the same functional properties as egg whites – like foaming, gelling, binding, and emulsifying.

Edgar was already a graduated PhD, but Corjan took a big step – leaving his job in academia.

And that’s how Revyve was born: not with investors or products, but with a gram of yeast powder and a shared belief in the future.

A protein revolution

In 2019, the first ever Revyve pancakes were created by Corjan, using proteins from brewer’s spent yeast.

Next came Merengues, made in Corjan’s kitchen, using brewer’s spent yeast proteins.

Can you guess which of the below was made with egg and which was made with brewer’s spent yeast?

Building from scratch (literally!)

So how do you build a brand with limited money, no proper equipment, no factory – only an idea?

We built our first pilot facility ourselves – with second-hand parts, borrowed tools, and yes, some duct tape.

Built in a greenhouse at Wageningen University, it cost less than €20,000.

Edgar (used to Columbia’s climate) called it room temperature.

Corjan, from the Netherlands, called it a mild form of torture.

A new chapter of leadership

2020 – Cedric joins as CEO

With big ambitions came a big step forward: Cedric joined Revyve to help turn potential into progress, and transform the company into a serious food tech player.

An engineer by training, he brought years of experience scaling operations and launching products.

From Idea to Impact

With a convertible loan from Innovation Industries and SHIFT Invest, Revyve became more than an idea, but a fully formed company.

We started building a great team – and our first real factory.

Scaling up

2023 – We raised €8M from Royal Cosun and Oost NL to scale up to 100+ tonnes of yeast-based ingredients per year.

Big leap. Same mission.

2025 onwards

Today, we’re a team of 35 (and counting), with a bold new brand and some very exciting things on the horizon.

But our goal hasn’t changed: using microbes to create better, more sustainable proteins that can replace animal-based ingredients

And it all started from two scientists, a gram of yeast powder, and the kind of scrappy, stubborn optimism that only comes from believing deeply in your work – and being just naive enough to think you can change the system from the inside out.