From idea to industrial implementation – a young StartUp from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is about to bring duckweed waterlens as a new type of food to the market
What is behind it and why could it be a turning point in the nutrition of tomorrow
Rostock, August 2025 – Ideas are plentiful. But real innovation is not shown in brainstorming – but in practical testing. The young company Solentil has arrived at exactly this point. With a vision that is as ambitious as it is concrete: to establish duckweed, better known as water lentil, as a sustainable protein source in human nutrition.
A new type of food with potential
The water lens is one of the fastest growing plants in the world it requires neither arable land nor pesticides grows in nutrient rich water and contains remarkable amounts of high quality protein vitamins and antioxidants in southeast asia it has long been valued as a food in europe however it was previously considered at best as animal feed or weed
This is changing right now
With the successful EU approval as „Novel Food“ one of the biggest regulatory hurdles was taken. The duck feed may now be officially marketed as food – a milestone for Solentil.
Now it shows whether our vision withstands the stress test of practice: Is Entengrütze technically, tastefully and regulatory really ripe for industrial production
– Alexej Sonnenfeld, co founder of Solentil
From Prototype to Product Development
In Mecklenburg Vorpommern first prototype plants are currently running stable supported by the research association MV gGmbH and the Maritime Incubator of the Ocean Technology Campus Rostock Zeitgleich analyzes the Center for Nutrition and Food Technology ZELT the plant raw materials taste nutritional values stability all factors that decide whether a good idea becomes a marketable product
Financial support was received for the project among others through a prize money in the business plan competition of the state of MV provided by the Elumija Group This capital enabled the financing of the first production facilities a decisive step in venture development
A prime example of strategic venture building
Solentil is not a random product but rather a textbook example of how targeted venture building brings innovations from theory to implementation Mount Even the venture builder behind the company systematically develops startups from idea generation to market validation
Partnerships play a central role in this context universities research centers economic operators and regional innovation networks such as the Gründungswerft work together on the implementation This collaborative approach is one of the keys to success
Good venture building means not just evaluating an idea but carrying it through all phases from could work to we are really doing it
– Marius Schmidt, co-founder of Solentil
What is coming next
With the regulatory basis, stable pilot plants and positive initial analyses, the most crucial phase is now beginning: integration into industrial food production, which is about scaling, economy – and acceptance by consumers.
A simple product is not Duckweed: smell, consistency and color require clever processing. But the potential as a plant-based protein source is great – especially in a time when sustainable food solutions are more urgent than ever.
