The keto culture responds to the concern for having a good quality of life based on adequate nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. The Barcelona startup Ketonico, launched in 2020 by Vicenç Martí, Nico Andonakis, and Víctor Sala, wants to lead this incipient market with the development and commercialization of products that respond to this demand.
To do so, it has just closed its first round, for 1.1 million euros, led by the Swedish family offices Synarchy Ventures and 183 Invest Ab. The Catalan company Xocolating 1994, promoter of the healthy sweets brand Body Genious, has also participated. With the latter, Ketonico has reached an agreement to produce its products in the factory it has in Manlleu.
The resources obtained will allow the company to accelerate its launch and consolidation in Southern Europe and Germany, a country where keto culture is very well established. Specifically, it will be invested in creating a brand, purchasing raw materials, and hiring more staff. Currently, the staff in the Barcelona and Ibiza offices stands at 12 employees and expects to end the year with 24 workers.
Likewise, Ketonico has just started marketing its products through its website. It offers a total of ten references, with prices between 12 and 25 euros, such as collagen, organic coffee, nut butter, powdered oil, or artisanal ghee ---used for frying and cooking---. It also sells subscription packs, with premium services included and at a higher price. It expects to reach 18 products by the end of the year and a hundred in 2024.
Keto is booming and the US is its main market. After analyzing the situation in Europe, Ketonico seeks to capture 3% of ketogenic diet followers with the sale of its products to more than 400,000 users. This milestone will allow it to reach a business volume of 33 million euros in a five-year period, a figure with which it would lead the keto category in Europe.
According to Vicenç Martí, co-founder and president of Ketonico, "keto has become a global trend, with a turnover of 10,000 million, of which 2,000 million have been located in Europe in this last year. In this sense, the US is the main keto market, while Europe ---with more than 20% market share--- occupies the second position, but it is expected that in the coming years there will be great growth."