Fish-heads 'upcycler' Hailia wins backing for expansion
Raw materials and machinery suppliers join with new investors to accelerate Finnish firm's growth
Finnish food technology company Hailia today announced a new strategic partnership to expand international licensing of its technology that turns sidestreams from fish processing, such as heads, fins, and frames, into ready-to-eat food products for human consumption.
The lead partner is Finnish seafood processor and long-time collaborator Kalavapriikki, which has licensed Hailia’s technology. While the products are marketed under the Kalavapriikki brand, they are currently manufactured by Hailia and are already available on the market.
Dana Technology, a Danish engineering company that has developed and owns the intellectual property (IP) for a novel processing machinery, joins the partnership as a strategic technology provider. Hailia holds exclusive rights to use the technology in seafood applications. The partnership is a part of a broader €1.75 million investment round, which includes new investors Holdix and Ikorni Invest, alongside a syndicate of returning and new investors.
Underutilised materials
Hailia’s technology transforms underutilised fish raw materials, such as filleting sidestreams, into easy-to-use fish products with a texture and mouthfeel similar to cooked fish fillets.
The company launched its first commercially available product, “pulled rainbow trout,” with Kalavapriikki and Finnish supermarket leader S-Group in late summer last year, selling 36,000 packs in the first month. Last year, the company also launched products available to food service and industrial kitchens in collaboration with fish processor Hätälä.
The new partnership commits the entire supply chain, from equipment production to end customers, to ensuring Hailia’s further growth. The company is already in talks with several global producers of salmonids, pelagic fish, and whitefish about licensing its technology.
“Using sidestreams for human food used to be a nice-to-have, but now it’s an industry must-have. Comparing conversations with processors at trade shows last year to this year, we see a huge uptick in interest, not for the future but for right now. Having Kalavapriikki and Dana Technology invested in our future gives us the confidence and means to seize these opportunities that we already know are there,” said Hailia chief executive Michaela Lindström.
Hailia’s vision is to become the global standard for the seafood industry. The world’s seafood consumption is expected to increase by 50% by 2050, underscoring a clear need for new low-carbon protein sources. To meet the demand, the seafood industry is scrambling to improve its resource efficiency. Sidestreams have primarily been utilised for animal feed, oils, or health products, but using 20-40% more of the fish for human consumption is a significant step towards meeting rising demand and introducing new and healthy food products to consumers.
“We have seen the impact of Hailia’s technology in our own production,” said Kalavapriiki chief executive Jari Korhonen. “Not only are we using more of the fish and reducing our carbon footprint, but we are also able to create completely new products for our customers. We believe this technology is the future of fish processing, and we were never in doubt about wanting to be an active part of that journey.”
Hailia’s licensing model gives fish processors access to its technology and equipment at their own production sites. With the investment and partnership with engineering partner Dana Technology, Hailia says it can expand its global reach, further develop its technology, and cater to the needs of food producers worldwide.
'Industry has taken notice'
“Engineering is problem solving, and with Hailia, we have been able to solve a huge one,” said Dana Technology chief executive Vagn Hanesen. “The seafood industry has a tremendous amount of sidestreams, and while they have been used to feed animals or as supplements, they haven’t contributed to global food security. Hailia has changed that completely, and the industry has taken notice. We can’t wait to see where the next steps will take us.”
Hailia will present its technology at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, later this year. In 2024, the company won the World Food Innovation Award for best technology and was recognised as the Best Business in Global Call 2024 by UNIDO, a United Nations initiative. It was also listed as one of the 30 most interesting circular economy solutions for nature by the World Circular Economy Forum.
It is also one of four companies shortlisted for the innovation prize at the Aquaculture Awards being announced tomorrow evening at the Macdonald Drumossie Hotel, Inverness. The other finalists in the category are fish farm electric fence maker Harbor AS; nanobubble technology expert Moleaer; and BiOceanOr, which provides AI powered water quality forecasts.
