Upcycling Solutions

About Upcycling Solutions

Upcycling Solutions is a Brazilian project office focused on helping food-industry companies turn production residues into new products and ingredients that can be brought to the consumer market. Founded in 2022, it positions itself at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and market intelligence, with a mission to help clients valorize waste, reduce disposal, and create new revenue from materials that would otherwise be discarded.

The company works with agro-industrial by-products and unavoidable food-production residues such as peels, stems, pomace, grounds, seeds, and leaves. It serves companies looking to develop upcycled products, identify viable residue streams, scout ingredients, assess trends, and connect sustainability goals with commercial opportunities across food and adjacent sectors such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals.

Core Values

• Sustainability: The company frames upcycling as a practical way to reduce food waste, lower dependence on virgin raw materials, and cut environmental impact across the food chain.
• Innovation: It emphasizes continuous innovation, using research, technology, and new product development to convert residues into commercially relevant solutions.
• Circular economy: Upcycling Solutions promotes circularity by turning waste streams into inputs for new value chains, rather than treating them as disposal problems.
• Scientific rigor: Its methodology relies on structured research, technical validation, and expert curation to ensure that recommendations are relevant and applicable.
• Collaboration and transparency: The company highlights partnerships with academic experts, startups, companies, and investors, and presents collaboration as central to turning theory into practice.

Unique Aspects

• First Brazilian upcycled-product certification: In partnership with ABRARASTRO, the company created the first and only Brazilian certification for upcycled food ingredients and products.
• AI-assisted proprietary methodology: Its digital methodology combines structured research, artificial intelligence, and human expert curation, including its own Cyssi intelligence tool, to turn large volumes of information into actionable decisions.
• FoodGate 2.0 matchmaking platform: The company operates FoodGate 2.0 as a B2B matchmaking system that connects parties looking to move inventory with buyers seeking ingredient opportunities.
• Synex Ingredients spin-off: It is associated with Synex Ingredients, described as the first Brazilian upcycling-as-a-service ingredients company, extending its reach from consulting into ingredient development.
• Community and ecosystem role: In 2024, it launched the Upcycling Community in Brazil and is listed among partners of The Upcycling Community, reinforcing its role as an ecosystem builder in upcycled food and ingredients.
• Technical and institutional backing: The company says it works with the Tropical Food Innovation Lab and Brazilian and international universities, and it has partnered with ABRARASTRO on carbon and certification initiatives.