Belgium's Innovad takes majority stake in Greek olive-feed firm Olea Fortius
What's the deal? Belgium's Innovad GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has taken a majority stake in Olea Fortius, a Larissa-based developer of animal-nutrition ingredients made from olive-oil by-products, under a joint venture effective September 30, 2026. The deal value was undisclosed. Innovad holds the stake alongside Olea Fortius' founders, including FoodOxysDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a University of Thessaly spin-off that stays fully involved.
Why now? The two firms have worked together since 2023, when Olea Fortius began supplying Innovad with high-phenolic olive pulp from olive-oil production side streams. That collaboration produced Novinox Nat Olea, Innovad's natural olive-based antioxidant, and now underpins Korevion, a new olive-based product Innovad will unveil at EuroTier 2026 in Hanover, Germany, from November 10 to 13.
What's the endgame? The joint venture targets three areas: standardised olive pulp preserving polyphenols and triterpenes; essential oils from Greek aromatic plants, starting with oregano oil; and Pawlive, a line of extra virgin olive oil sprays for pets. The partnership strengthens HerbonisDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Innovad's flagship phytogenics brand, said chief executive officer Ben Letor.
What's next? The partners are investing in a processing site near Larissa, Greece, to serve as a hub for quality control, processing, and distribution to international markets under GMP+ feed safety rules. Co-founder Aris Kefalogiannis said the venture gives them a platform to invest further in Thessaly and bring Greek olive and Mediterranean plant ingredients to feed markets worldwide.
Who's involved? Olea Fortius, founded in 2022, converts olive-oil by-products into high-phenolic pulp, building on University of Thessaly research showing improved antioxidant status in lambs, broilers, and piglets. FoodOxys contributes expertise in oxidative stress and plant bioactives, sharing analytical methods with Innovad's laboratories in Essen, Belgium, and Augst, Switzerland.
The signal: The deal extends Innovad's run of expansion — it acquired Brazil's CinergisDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in August 2026 — and reflects growing demand for science-backed, natural feed additives as the industry moves away from synthetic inputs. By securing a Mediterranean botanicals supply from source to market, Innovad is betting that olive by-products can become a differentiated ingredient category in animal nutrition.
Read more: efeedlink.com
