SCO2 Nextract Technology

SCO2, Inc. is an industrial technology company in Little Canada, Minnesota, launched in 2019 by founders with decades of waste processing and engineering experience. It helps food processors turn byproducts that are composted, burned or sold as cheap feed, such as tomato pomace, spent coffee grounds and wheat bran, into high-value ingredients.

Its patented Nextract Technology redesigns supercritical CO2 extraction for industrial scale: hydraulics and automation drive a double-piston chamber, and a five-stage pressure cascade separates waxes, oils, fatty acids, flavonoids and aromatics by molecular weight without solvents. The defatted solids are sold as purified fibre and protein, and the CO2 is recaptured. Systems are licensed and co-located inside the customer's plant, following a proof of concept and co-development phase.

• Double-piston chamber: biomass and bulk CO2 are pressurised so the CO2 becomes supercritical and extracts molecules.
• Collection cascade: five pressure stages automatically separate fractions by molecular weight.
• Purified solids: defatted, deflavoured and decoloured residue sold as fibre and protein.
• CO2 reclaim: carbon dioxide is recaptured and reused in the loop.
• No pre-processing: a single process step replaces the 12 or more steps of legacy extraction.
• Licensing model: four-week proof of concept, co-development, then a technology licence.

• Instant coffee and cold brew producers in Vietnam extracting coffee oil and fibre from spent grounds.
• Cashew, cocoa and nut processors recovering oils and protein from shells and press cake.
• Fruit juice and tomato processors turning pomace into dietary fibre and seed oils.

• New revenue from waste: byproducts worth about 100 USD per tonne as feed can become ingredients worth about 5,000 USD per tonne, according to the CEO.
• High throughput: 1 to 25 tonnes per hour per system with cycle times under 20 minutes.
• Clean-label output: solvent-free, hexane-free fractions with native molecules preserved.
• No line disruption: the system is co-located and fed by the existing biomass stream.

Food manufacturers are under pressure to reduce waste and Scope 3 emissions while demand grows for natural fibres, oils and bioactives for food, cosmetics and nutraceuticals. Southeast Asia generates large volumes of coffee, cocoa, fruit and grain byproducts, which supports upcycling technologies that create value inside existing plants.

Launched in 2019 and based in Little Canada, Minnesota. Raised a 2.7 million USD seed round in August 2026, after earlier funding from family, friends and small investors. Leadership includes CEO Michael Sigel, co-founder Olaf N Lee, co-founder and CTO Greg White, and CCO Ted Barber, former head of open innovation at Danone.