Dutch agritech startup Wakuli, which sells specialty coffee from regenerative farms, has secured €5 million in Series A funding from ECBF and Rabobank to expand its impact and support farmers.
- Founded in 2019 by Yorick Bruins and Lukas Grosfeld, Wakuli is a specialty coffee company that develops and implements a fully regenerative coffee supply chain. The firm works directly with farmer groups across multiple countries, providing stable, long-term income to enable investments in climate-friendly farming practices such as shade-grown agroforestry, soil restoration, and the elimination of synthetic fertilizers.
- Wakuli sources high-quality beans from these partner farms, roasts them lightly to preserve origin flavors, and distributes them through both retail coffee bars and online subscriptions. By combining direct trade, farmer partnerships, and regenerative agriculture, the company seeks to improve farmer livelihoods while reducing the environmental impact of coffee production.
Details of the deal
- The fresh €5 million funding for Wakuli came from ECBF, a 2020-launched €300 million venture fund supporting growth-stage bioeconomy companies with an ESG focus, and Rabobank, through a mix of debt and equity.
"ECBF invests in companies leading the transition to a regenerative economy. Wakuli proves that guaranteeing a living income for farmers and protecting the climate can go hand-in-hand with commercial success. Making specialty coffee accessible to a broader audience is exactly the kind of scaling needed to drive systemic change," explains Isabelle Laurencin, Partner at ECBF.
- Wakuli will use the €5 million funding to grow its operations by opening new coffee bars across the Netherlands and establishing its first locations abroad. The investment will also support initiatives that ensure fair incomes for farmers and advance regenerative, climate-friendly coffee production.
"The coffee industry is broken; giants control the markets while underpaying farmers. With the support of ECBF, Rabobank, and our other investors, we will exponentially increase our impact and prove that business can be a driver for positive change," claims Lukas Grosfeld, co-founder of Wakuli.
