French agtech startup Amatera has raised €6 million (about $7 million) in a seed funding round to expand its artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to develop crops that can withstand climate change. The funding will help the company accelerate research into resilient perennial crops, beginning with coffee plants and wine grapes.

The round was co-led by Demea Sustainable Investment and Oyster Bay Venture Capital, with participation from existing investors PINC, Mudcake and Exceptional Ventures. Including previous financing, Amatera has now raised roughly €7.5 million.

Climate Threatens Coffee And Wine Production

The startup’s focus comes as climate change increasingly disrupts the global production of major agricultural commodities.

Scientific projections indicate that the area suitable for growing coffee could shrink by as much as 50 percent by 2050. In Latin America alone, nearly 90 percent of current coffee-growing regions could become unsuitable due to rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns.

Wine production is facing similar pressures. Higher temperatures are accelerating grape ripening, increasing alcohol levels and contributing to declining harvest volumes in some regions. In fact, global wine output recently dropped to its lowest level in six decades.

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AI-Driven Plant Cell Biology Platform

Amatera’s platform combines plant cell biology, robotics and artificial intelligence to speed up the discovery and development of new crop varieties.

Traditional breeding methods for crops such as coffee or grapes can take up to 20 years and cost millions of dollars. By automating the process at the cellular level, the company aims to reduce development timelines by two to three times while cutting costs by up to tenfold.

The system screens thousands of plant cell lines using AI-based selection tools that identify promising genetic traits. Robotics systems then automate processes such as plant regeneration, tissue culture and genetic screening, allowing researchers to rapidly identify resilient varieties.

According to co-founder and CEO Omar Dekkiche, the approach allows scientists to bypass many manual bottlenecks in conventional breeding while dramatically improving throughput.

Developing Climate-Resilient Coffee And Grapes

Among Amatera’s current research projects is a new coffee hybrid called Robustica, which combines the flavour profile of arabica beans with the higher productivity of robusta plants. The company is also working on an arabica coffee variety that naturally contains no caffeine.

At the same time, the startup has begun developing mildew-resistant wine grape varieties aimed at improving resilience in vineyards facing rising temperatures and disease pressures.

Early testing suggests that the first coffee varieties could enter field trials within two years, with initial commercial harvests expected within five years.

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Scaling Technology Across Global Agriculture

The new funding will be used to expand Amatera’s engineering and scientific teams, scale its automation capabilities and begin applying the technology to additional crop categories beyond coffee and grapes.

The company is also building partnerships with seed companies and agricultural technology firms to deploy its platform across staple crops and vegetable production.

Unlike genetically modified crops created through gene editing, Amatera relies primarily on natural mutations and accelerated breeding methods. This approach avoids the regulatory complexity associated with genetically modified organisms and simplifies the approval process for new crop varieties.

A Growing Market For Climate-Resilient Crops

Demand for climate-adapted crops is rising rapidly as agricultural producers face increasing climate volatility. Major coffee-producing countries including Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia have experienced dozens of additional high-temperature days in recent years, affecting yields and crop quality.

These pressures have pushed global coffee prices to record highs and intensified the search for resilient plant varieties.

Amatera’s strategy focuses on licensing its proprietary crop varieties to large agrifood companies, coffee traders and roasters seeking long-term supply stability.

As climate pressures continue to reshape global agriculture, technologies combining biotechnology, automation and artificial intelligence are increasingly seen as essential tools for protecting food and beverage supply chains.

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