Can We Make Palm Oil Without Trees? Inside Estonia’s Biotech Breakthrough

Palm oil fuels everything from food to cosmetics — and massive deforestation. But what if oil could be brewed instead of grown?

Kristi Lember, Global Business Developer at ÄIO, reveals how an Estonian biotech startup is turning industrial side streams and even sawdust into sustainable oils and fats using proprietary yeast fermentation. The process cuts land use by up to 97% and water use by 90%, while delivering the scale global food and cosmetic brands actually need.

With new EU rules reshaping supply chains and demand accelerating fast, ÄIO is scaling from pilot to industrial volumes — and showing what the future of ingredients could look like when science, regulation, and market pull align.