YEAST2VALUE Circular Value Chains for Upcycling Brewer’s Spent Yeast into High-Value Proteins

Challenge

Breweries generate large volumes of nutrient-rich spent yeast, but this material is often treated as a low-value by-product despite its significant protein potential.

Solution

YEAST2VALUE connects breweries with a patented yeast-processing technology that recovers valuable protein ingredients while returning residual streams to circular value chains. The project combines this existing upcycling process with a scalable, data-driven supply-chain model designed to connect dispersed breweries with regional processing hubs. The model currently maps 24 breweries across six countries, creating the basis for a more coordinated and replicable circular value chain.

Impact

YEAST2VALUE estimates around €685 of value created per tonne of spent yeast and projects €1.7–3.3 million in annual revenue for a first regional hub in Slovenia. The project also reports 1.8 tonnes of spent yeast upcycled into three different products, following a zero-waste approach. By transforming a brewery by-product into higher-value ingredients and keeping residual materials in circulation, YEAST2VALUE demonstrates how circular bioeconomy models can generate both environmental and economic value.