The winners of the Ministry of Agriculture’s annual “Lielais loms 2026” Fisheries Awards were announced in late August in Engure, an important coastal area for Latvia’s fisheries. Traditionally, candidates were assessed in six categories, but this year was special because, for the first time in the history of the awards, the prize in the “Innovation in Fisheries” category went to an algae-growing company. Agnese Stunda-Zujeva, PhD, co-founder of the biotechnology company SIA “SpirulinaNord”, explains what lies behind the company’s success story.
“Probably, it is the resilience I have developed through research,” says Agnese Stunda-Zujeva, who has devoted 15 years to research. When she had the opportunity to write a grant proposal after completing her doctoral studies, she chose a project focusing on microalgae.
“At that time, the Green Deal was very much in the spotlight – the idea that there can be no green transition if we look only at trees and grass. Microalgae grow quickly, they are green, and there are many directions in which they could be developed. Of all microscopic algae, essentially only two are edible – chlorella and spirulina. Spirulina is somewhat easier to harvest and can be eaten straight away. At the time, I thought: right, so all spirulina needs is to be grown in a slightly smarter way.”
A Smart Aquarium on an Industrial Scale
“Many people around the world are trying to figure out how to grow spirulina more effectively in ponds. As engineers, we immediately looked at it differently – why grow it in a pond at all if getting water to 30 degrees Celsius in Latvia is simply not realistic? So we immediately chose a completely different concept and designed an aquarium, or photobioreactor, instead of trying to genetically modify spirulina or grow it in a pond in a way that would prevent it from freezing in winter,” Agnese Stunda-Zujeva recalls.
One of the first impulses came from discovering that there were people in the United States growing spirulina in an aquarium on a windowsill. Agnese then thought that if it could be grown in an aquarium on a windowsill, then, as an engineer, she could design a smarter aquarium on an industrial scale and make it more efficient.
“It is similar to tomatoes. You can simply put a tomato on a balcony – it will probably grow, something will probably come of it. But as soon as you want a reliable harvest, you have to think about a greenhouse, irrigation and everything else.”
At the end of 2019, SIA “SpirulinaNord” completed construction of its first bioreactor.
“If you have a 200-litre aquarium or reactor and something is growing in it, the immediate question is – where are we going to put all that spirulina? We registered with the Food and Veterinary Service so that we could start selling it. When we saw that we did not really even need advertising – acquaintances and friends were talking about it and everyone was already waiting for the next batch – we realised that people wanted it. From that point on, we focused less on science and more on increasing production capacity. And that is what we are still doing.”
Innovation at Every Step
Agnese says innovation can be viewed in different ways.
“When we went to the food technologists at the Latvia University of Agriculture (now the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies) and asked how to preserve spirulina so that it would not have to be frozen, the classic answers were salt, vinegar, sugar or pasteurisation. We immediately said – we do not want thermal treatment or any of the other options. In the end, it was athletes who convinced us that sugar is not actually so bad and that it is needed for metabolism. When we developed the syrup recipes, it turned out that there was very little sugar in a daily serving.
“Innovation is present in every step we take because we simply have nothing to copy. If we do not want to ship fresh spirulina frozen, as others around the world do, then we have to come up with the solution ourselves.”
In Agnese’s view, algae are still a largely underestimated resource. They can be used to make materials and textiles and to obtain various chemical substances.
“It is a fast-growing resource that has not yet been sufficiently appreciated. I am also pleased that we were not the only ones – we had competition in the algae sector. I even know of a third company that was not nominated. So the algae industry in Latvia is not solely in our hands.”
From Harvest to Bottle in Half an Hour
“Basically, only the flavours are different,” Agnese Stunda-Zujeva says about the biotechnology company’s products.
“We started with syrups, but there was very high demand for sugar-free products. So we developed sea buckthorn juice, which contains very little sugar, and then discovered a new berry – haskap – which is only now gaining popularity. Haskap itself contains little sugar, so there is no need to add any. Since we do not pasteurise the product, it is very important for us to find the ideal combination of ingredients – one that is also suitable for the spirulina itself.”
Asked about the production cycle, Agnese says that the easiest way for people to imagine it would probably be to think of yeast or kombucha, because spirulina is a microorganism that reproduces by cell division. The main requirements are sufficient warmth and the right nutrients.
“We need a very specific mineral solution that is even saltier than ocean water, but instead of salt it contains baking soda. This ensures that only spirulina grows there, as other microorganisms are not attracted to such a liquid. Since we are Europeans, we work five days a week. We harvest every working day, while at weekends we let both the people and the algae rest.
“The cycle works like this: every day we harvest a certain portion – one fifth, one third or another part – then add water back in, and the next day everything has already grown back and can be harvested again. The good thing about spirulina is that although it is microscopic, it can be harvested by filtration. It is large enough for a filter to catch it. We then rinse it off the growing medium, mix it with syrup and put it into bottles. We avoid thermal processing as much as possible. Essentially, the spirulina is in the bottle within half an hour.”
Spirulina and Nutrients
What is so special about this microscopic algae that it is becoming increasingly popular?
Agnese Stunda-Zujeva says that although most people know how important vegetables are, Eurostat data show that a very large proportion of Europeans do not eat enough vegetables, while some hardly eat any at all.
“Spirulina does not contain fibre, but it does contain pigments, antioxidants, enzymes and other active substances that are found in vegetables. People tell us that their digestion improves, they have more energy, it is easier to focus and they feel less tired in the evening. People notice this within the first week or two if they really are lacking these nutrients. Vegetarians and people who pay close attention to their diet, on the other hand, tend to say that they do not notice anything special, which also makes sense.
“Spirulina is usually sold elsewhere as a food supplement in powder form. But we know that vegetables are better when they are fresh. You cannot really compare a strawberry in a compote with a fresh strawberry – they are different products. That is why we believe spirulina should be consumed as fresh as possible, in its natural form. Then the nutrients are exactly as they come from nature, and the body can recognise and absorb them more easily. We are very pleased that even picky children say that it tastes good.”
Approximately €1 Million in Funding Attracted
Over the course of its existence, the company has attracted approximately €1 million in total through investment and various funding programmes. This amount has been accumulated gradually as the company’s team has prepared and implemented various projects.
For example, more than €725,000 in total has been attracted through two projects for expanding the production facility and investing in aquaculture, with funding from the Rural Support Service (RSS) and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) provided financial support of €113,600.
The company also completed its largest single investment round of €600,000 with the start-up accelerator “Buildit Latvia” and a private investor, while additional funding has been attracted from other funds. The first €50,000 in funding, which also enabled SIA “SpirulinaNord” to be established, was received from the “EIT Climate-KIC” ideas accelerator.
“We have been involved in both research projects and various business projects, including the LIAA export development programme, because if we want to export, we need to study the market. Once we gain momentum and secure more projects, we will move forward. Broadly speaking, we have had two problems: producing enough to meet demand and then, after expanding the production facility, ensuring that sales keep pace with production.
“At the moment, we are increasing production from five to 26 reactors – more than fivefold. As soon as we see that sales are moving smoothly, we will add the next production unit.”
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