Our vision

Become the global leader of a green parallel oil & fat industry by 2030

Our story

NoPalm Ingredients was founded in June 2021 by Lars Langhout and Professor Dr. Jeroen Hugenholtz to revolutionize the oil and fat industry, by addressing the environmental and supply chain challenges of conventional palm oil, which is found in 60% of supermarket products.

Lars, with a background in strategy consulting, was inspired by Jeroen's research at Wageningen University on yeast oils as a sustainable and circular palm oil alternative. After reading an article about this research, Lars reached out to Jeroen, and their collaboration began.

In just two meetings, they decided to join forces. Within a year, they scaled their technology from a small lab to a 2000-liter fermentation facility, supported by pilot projects with industry giants like Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever.

Today, NoPalm Ingredients has achieved remarkable growth. What started as a small startup has blossomed into a team of more than 20 innovative impact makers that and are now scaling up the technology to an industrial scale (50,000 liters) to make a global impact.

With Lars's strategic vision and Jeroen's 40+ years of expertise, they are committed to providing sustainable and affordable alternatives to palm oil, making a positive impact on the environment and global supply chains.

Our journey

Swipe right to see our progress over the last three years...

  • December 2020

    Professor Dr. Jeroen Hugenholtz of Wageningen University’s Food & Biobased Research group developed mayonnaise using yeast oils and published his findings in a detailed article.

  • April 2021

    Lars Langhout, impressed by the article, reached out to Professor Dr. Jeroen Hugenholtz.

  • June 2021

    Lars and Jeroen, convinced of the potential of producing yeast oils, founded NoPalm Ingredients.

  • November 2021

    November 2021

    Before launching any products, NoPalm Ingredients won its first award for the Most Innovative Food and Beverage Ingredient at Fodd Ingredients Europe.

  • January 2022

    NoPalm Ingredients secured a funding of EUR 1 million and established its first headquarters at NIZO in Ede, starting with a team of five members.

  • March 2022

    NoPalm Ingredients won another award by clinching the "Gone in 60 Seconds" startup showcase at FutureFoodTech in San Francisco.

  • May 2022

    NoPalm Ingredients secured an additional grant of €600,000 from the Dutch RVO's Demonstration Energy and Climate Innovation program. Additionally, we demonstrated the tunability of our yeast oils.

  • June 2022

    During this period, we won several awards, including the Rabobank Sustainable Innovation Award and recognition at the Foodhack Summit.

  • October 2022

    We secured our first patent for our yeast oils and demonstrated their scalability by producing them on a 2000-liter scale.

  • October 2022

    We won three prestigious awards: the Jan Terlouw Ambition Prize, the MassChallenge Switzerland, and the Regio Foodvalley Innovation Prize.

  • December 2022

    Our team expanded significantly to around 15 impact makers, including key roles such as a Head of Business Development.

  • January 2023

    We opened a 450m² lab facility in Wageningen, where we continue to operate today.

  • June 2023

    We successfully operationalized our pilot line to further develop our yeast oils at a pre-industrial scale, producing kilograms of oil per batch for customers.

  • July 2023

    July 2023

    We hired Jeroen Blansjaar as our Chief Operating Officer (COO) to accelerate our pathway towards industrialization.

  • September 2023

    We achieved a significant milestone by collaborating with Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever, successfully transforming their by-products into relevant oils for bouillon powder and soap applications.

  • April 2024

    NoPalm Ingredients joins forces with Lamb Weston and Zeelandia for sustainable oil production from potato residuals.

  • Now

    We have a dedicated team of over 20 people, all highly motivated to scale our processes to an industrial level and make a global impact with our yeast oils.

Our values

At NoPalm Ingredients, we are guided by five core values that shape our vibrant team culture and inspire us daily. These principles fuel our commitment and enthusiasm for excelling in our workplace.

  • We are committed to driving change by setting and achieving sustainability goals that not only drive our business forward but also inspire the wider industry and communities we touch.

  • We empower each other to take ownership, openly acknowledge and learn from challenges, and turn them into opportunities. We act with a sense of urgency, autonomy, and entrepreneurial spirit to drive our shared mission forward.

  • Our strength lies in the diversity, well-being, and development of our team. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment that values everyone’s contribution and fosters collaboration. By caring for our people, we build a more resilient, innovative, and dedicated community that drives our collective success as a business.

  • Trust forms the bedrock of all our relationships. Through dedication and accountability, we consistently maintain reliability and credibility. Our steadfast commitment to always doing the right thing establishes an unwavering foundation of trust, underpinning everything we do.

  • In a world that never stops evolving, we embrace a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. Our strategies and decisions are informed by data, rigorous analysis, and a keen eye on global trends. We actively seek out feedback, encourage constructive criticism, and view every experience as a learning opportunity.

Founding & managing team

Our Team