FoodYoung Labs Acquires MeliBio to Scale Bee-Free Honey Technology

Swiss food group FoodYoung Labs has acquired California-based food tech company MeliBio, seeking to expand its plant-based honey technology. The transaction includes MeliBio’s consumer brand, Mellody, and its “Generation 1” technology, along with related IP.

Per a press release, FoodYoung Labs will take MeliBio’s bee-free innovation “to the next level” through its Swiss full-stack innovation lab and U.S. commercial powerhouse, making Mellody “truly clean label and unrefined.”

Founded in 2020 by Darko Mandich, a former honey industry executive, alongside Aaron Schaller, MeliBio aims to address supply chain challenges affecting commercial honey production in the U.S. and Europe. The company’s first placement was in Eleven Madison Park, a three-Michelin-star restaurant, which validated its product.

In 2023, MeliBio introduced Mellody to expand its customer base from primarily foodservice accounts to grocery stores. Mandich previously told Nosh the company is well-positioned to drive global growth through a three-pronged strategy: B2B ingredients, foodservice and Mellody. The decision to take an omnichannel approach was made in collaboration with MeliBio’s investors – to date, the company has raised nearly $10 million.

“An omni-channel strategy is something that people don’t sign up for lightly because it can draw questions around the focus, team and the resource allocations,” Mandich told Nosh in 2024. “When we were analyzing our situation, we realized that the most difficult thing that this company achieved was making honey without bees. The question around different channels [comes] at the very end of the line.”

Offered in two varieties – Golden Clover and Spicy Habanero – Mellody is crafted with fructose, glucose, gluconic acid and botanical extracts like red clover, jasmine and passionflower. The product is made with over 30 plant varieties in total, which are combined into inputs via a proprietary process.

Mellody is available in more than 1,000 stores nationwide, including Town & Country Markets in the Pacific Northwest Region and Aldi. Its retail distribution partners include KeHE, UNFI and Pod Foods, among others.

For FoodYoung Labs, the acquisition of MeliBio adds plant-based honey to its diverse portfolio, which includes snacks, bars, chocolates, spreads, and baked and frozen products. According to today’s announcement, the brand’s commitment to better-for-you food is “backed by transparent ingredient sourcing and rigorous scientific expertise.”

“We look forward to the evolution of MeliBio’s technology under FoodYoung Labs, which is uniquely poised to take the innovations behind Mellody forward through their proven expertise, ability to scale and success in the market,” said Schaller in a statement.