This is a vote of confidence in regenerative agriculture as a bankable consumer supply chain, not just a brand story.
Dutch specialty coffee company Wakuli has closed a EUR 5 million Series A funding round backed by the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) and Rabobank, according to Tech.eu. The round was announced December 10, 2025, and brings Wakuli’s total funding to EUR 9.25 million.
The financing is a mix of debt and equity, and will be used to scale Wakuli’s regenerative coffee supply chain and expand its coffee bars in the Netherlands and internationally.
Why this round matters
Consumer-facing sustainability pitches are common. What is less common is a model that links unit economics, farmer incentives and measurable climate outcomes tightly enough to attract both a bioeconomy-focused venture fund and a major agri-finance bank.
Wakuli positions itself around specialty coffee sourced from regenerative farms, citing practices such as shade-grown agroforestry, soil restoration, and the elimination of synthetic fertilisers. The company also emphasises that its commercial proposition depends on keeping farmers investable, not squeezed.
According to verified details shared alongside the deal, Wakuli maintains long-term partnerships with more than 16,000 farmers across 13 countries and says it pays among the highest regional prices, including in more challenging sourcing regions such as DRC and Myanmar.
Execution reality: supply chain first, brand second
The strongest signal here is that the funding is framed around supply chain scaling as much as front-end growth.
Wakuli’s model links farmer income directly to climate impact, enabling on-farm investments in regenerative practices. That matters because regenerative claims in coffee often fail at the same point: farmers cannot finance transition costs, so practices remain pilot-scale.
Wakuli reports demonstrated environmental impact of 57-89% lower CO₂ emissions at 0.30-0.60 kg per kg of green coffee versus conventional methods, with some farms reaching net-negative emissions through carbon sequestration. If these outcomes hold at greater scale, it strengthens the argument that a differentiated specialty coffee proposition can be defended by supply-side performance, not just marketing.
Investor read-through
ECBF, a EUR 300 million venture fund focused on growth-stage bioeconomy companies with an ESG lens, described Wakuli as proof that farmer living income, climate protection and commercial success can be combined.
Rabobank’s involvement is also notable. Its participation alongside ECBF, and the use of a debt-and-equity structure, suggests a willingness to finance an operating model that treats regenerative sourcing as an investable system rather than a cost centre.
Risks to watch
The next phase will test whether Wakuli can scale without diluting the very attributes that make the supply chain valuable.
Key execution risks include:
- Sourcing integrity at scale: expanding volumes while maintaining long-term farmer relationships and verified practices.
- Retail rollout discipline: coffee bar expansion can be capital intensive and operationally complex, particularly across borders.
- Price sensitivity and churn: specialty coffee margins rely on sustained willingness to pay, especially if consumers trade down.
What happens next
With fresh capital, Wakuli is expected to accelerate ethical sourcing expansion and broaden its coffee bar footprint. For the wider market, the deal is a clear with-trend signal: investors are increasingly backing consumer brands that can prove sustainability through measurable supply chain outcomes, not just packaging claims.