TEL AVIV and NEW YORK — Coffee technoilogy startup ansā Roasting Inc. announced it has secured a total of $9 million in funding.
Leading the round is Jibe Ventures, a Tel Aviv-based early-stage fund. Additional participants include Closed Loop Ventures, New Climate Ventures, Millennium Food-tech and Sweetwood. The new capital fast-tracks the full commercial rollout of ansā’s high-tech coffee micro-roaster across North America, designed specifically for the away-from-home coffee segment.
ansā is leading a new era in the $300 million industry by elevating the pleasure of savoring fresh coffee while nurturing a kinder, more harmonious relationship with the planet. ansā has created a fully autonomous mini-roaster that serves as a sustainable alternative to huge, noisy, smoking industrial roasters. It comfortably sits on any countertop, making it the perfect addition to any commercial space, such as a hotel lobby, restaurant, café or shared work environment. The compact, sleek appliance is quiet, smoke-free, and cool to the touch.
The startup’s sleek countertop device introduces the on-demand roasting of bespoke raw green coffee beans, facilitating their transformation into a delightful brew right before consumption. It can roast a single serving of coffee in a few minutes or be programmed to roast any desired amount by a set time using the ansā Roasting app.
Subscribers enjoy a supply of specialty grade, 100% arabica beans delivered straight from the coffee field in bulk recyclable boxes. The result: a host of environmental benefits that slash carbon emissions and simultaneously endow a transcendent coffee-drinking experience. Moreover, coffee farmers can finally reap their rightful share of the rewards.
Ansa’s novel approach to sourcing and supplying coffee beans dramatically cuts the distances coffee beans need to travel by minimizing their transport between farms, roasting facilities, and customers while eliminating the reliance on single-use capsules and other environmentally polluting packaging.
“We are excited to invest in ansā, a coffee-tech startup that embodies our business philosophy hand-in-glove,” said Jibe co-founder and partner Danny Hadar. “Coffee is a global favorite beverage with an immense market. ansā not only offers a strong eco-friendly angle but is breaking new ground in the way we enjoy coffee, paving an exciting and greener future for the industry. Our investment strategy places great emphasis on supporting companies that promote sustainability and that have the capacity to make a profound impact.”
The fresh injection of funds will be channeled to fuel commercial rollout of the micro roaster in workspaces across the United States and beyond.
“Our micro-roaster is ready-to-market. During 2023 we secured commercial contracts nationwide with a lineup of top-tier distributors eagerly anticipating launching the service in prominent locations such as Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Seattle and more,” said Yuval Weisglass, co-founder, and CEO of ansā. “We are committed to broadening our coffee services geographically to meet the growing demand for sustainable coffee solutions, and to bring our unique coffee concept to a wider audience.”
The e23 micro roaster developed by ansā revolutionizes the concept of roasting, going beyond simply downsizing the industrial roaster. Breaking away from traditional roasting methods which have for decades relied on gas operated convection heat at temperatures surpassing 200°C, ansā brings an entirely fresh approach to the art of coffee roasting. Their patent pending countertop appliance energizes the beans from their core to the shell, without emitting any noise, heat, and unwanted by-products. This fully automatic appliance is equipped with a myriad of sensors and computer vision AI algorithms to ensure a consistently even roast for preparing the perfect freshly brewed cup of coffee.
“ansā is rewriting the coffee narrative by bringing aromatic fresh coffee ‘from shrub to cup’ sustainably,” said Matan Scharf, ansā’s co-founder and CMO. “The coffee landscape has long yearned for a rejuvenation. Our mission is to provide consumers with an extraordinary coffee experience, allowing them to engage with green coffee beans while indulging in superior quality coffee at its freshest. And all in the knowledge that they are protecting our planet and the livelihoods of coffee farmers.”
This content was originally published here.
