Initially established around a green fermentation-based technology (Eviagenics), ALGAIA has developed and protected different extraction technologies to produce specialty compounds from natural raw materials.

In 2014, the company decided to add a new dimension to its portfolio by tapping the huge potential of seaweed, a renewable marine raw material. Seaweed is a natural and sustainable resource that can be produced without environmental impact when grown using specific techniques. Seaweed consumes CO2 when growing and might be the only raw material where only natural seawater is used for its organic growth without the use of any fertilizers, pesticides or any other kind of chemicals. No cultivation land, no irrigation water are needed for seaweed growth. Benefits arising from this unique raw material are numerous and market opportunities keep growing rapidly in various domains.

Since February 2015 and thanks to a new strategic alliance with the Chilean leading company Gelymar, ALGAIA expanded its product portfolio to carrageenans, natural red seaweed extracts benefiting from unique sustainability attributes. Further to the commercial development of carrageenans in Europe, ALGAIA develops its own seaweed-derived products and technology portfolio. In addition, ALGAIA has  Joint Development Agreement programs in place on a number of topics.

Carrageenans are widely used in the Food, Personal Care and Dietary Supplements industries. They are natural, versatile, non-allergenic products also accepted for Kosher, Halal or Vegan diets. They are often used to reduce fat, replace animal derived ingredients like gelatin or improve texture and organoleptic profiles in the Food industry.

In 2015, ALGAIA decided to focus on marine-derived extracts and divested its Vanillin biotechnology to Solvay and its Flavonoids platform to Alderys. 

Mid 2016, the company acquired Alganact SA, a start-up specialized in fresh seaweed extracts. For the past two years, the team and laboratories have expanded to meet the company ambitious goals, culminating in the opening of a new R&D center in Saint-Lô France in October 2016.

In January 2017, ALGAIA completed the acquisition of Cargill’s alginate business and facility, thus adding a range of high quality alginates to its portfolio of seaweed-based solutions.

Today with the support of well-established private investors, ALGAIA is entirely focused on the manufacturing, sales and development of a wide range of products and solutions related to seaweed and other natural algae and plant-based extracts.