On August 19, W Platform officially launched CO2 BIO, the first French platform dedicated to the purchase and resale of biogenic CO2: http://plateforme.co2bio.fr. This initiative marks a turning point for the circular economy in France, enabling winegrowers with a surplus of fermentative CO2 to resell it to other consumers.

We are proud to be supported by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bordeaux (CIVB), a major player in the wine industry. The CIVB is an interprofessional organization representing all players in the Bordeaux wine industry. Its role is to promote the region's wines, defend the industry's economic interests, and ensure compliance with quality and Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée standards.

Find out more about their August 28 newsletter, featuring CO2 BIO.

Following the launch of CO2 BIO, we have already been contacted by a number of players in the wine industry wishing to purchase biogenic CO2 via the platform. This initial interest confirms not only the relevance of this project, but also the importance of implementing sustainable solutions to meet today's environmental challenges.

We would once again like to thank the CIVB, and in particular Marie-Catherine Dufour, for their support. Their commitment to us reinforces our motivation to pursue our efforts and develop innovative projects together. We look forward to continuing this collaboration, and are convinced that it will lead to ambitious new projects that will contribute to a more sustainable future.

Would you like to buy or sell biogenic CO2? Go to  http://plateforme.co2bio.fr and fill in your form now.

On August 19, the W Platform team proudly launched CO2 BIO, its platform for the purchase and resale of biogenic CO2 : http://plateforme.co2bio.fr

Supported by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bordeaux (CIVB), this initiative was born from the observation of its two co-founders: many winegrowers, equipped with CO2 capture systems, often produce a surplus of biogenic CO2 and wish to share this surplus with other winegrowers in the region.

The result is CO2 BIO, the first French platform dedicated to the purchase and resale of biogenic CO2. It's simple and secure to use. All you have to do is fill in the appropriate form (purchase or sale of CO2), indicating the volume of CO2 proposed or desired. 

Sellers of fermentative CO2 can indicate in what form their CO2 is offered (liquid or gaseous) and in what quantities. 

Potential buyers, mainly from the wine industry or other agri-food sectors, enter their CO2 requirements and can then purchase biogas with a low carbon footprint.

Once the form has been validated, the CO2 BIO teams will process the request as quickly as possible. It is also possible to access the summary and tracking of the request. In collaboration with a network of specialized transporters, CO2 BIO takes care of transporting the fermenting CO2 from point A to point B.

It is important to note that, as the platform is being launched for the 2024 harvest, the CO2 available for sale will depend on the winegrowers selling the grapes and the progress of their fermentation process. The CO2 delivery service will therefore only be available a few days after the first fermentations.

Initially, the platform will be operational in the Gironde region. A nationwide rollout is planned for 2025, enabling all winegrowers in France to resell or purchase their captured fermentative CO2. CO2 BIO offers local, food-grade CO2 that is more affordable than fossil-based CO2.

This platform represents a major step forward for the circular economy in France. Fermentative CO2, too long considered a by-product of viticulture, can now be recovered for a variety of applications.

" We are proud to launch this initiative, which transforms a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) constraint into an economic opportunity for winegrowers. "says Matthieu Planté, co-founder of CO2 BIO. " Our platform offers an innovative solution for recovering fermentative CO2, supporting the wine industry's sustainability efforts. "

Thanks to this initiative, CO2 BIO can optimize the use of existing resources and contribute to the fight against climate change, while creating a new sustainable and profitable value chain. " CO2 BIO provides industries with high-quality CO2, in line with their environmental objectives "explains Jean-Philippe Ricard, co-founder of CO2 BIO.

CO2 is used by winegrowers for a variety of purposes and in a variety of forms. It can be used in a gaseous state or in the form of dry ice to protect harvests, or to inert presses and vats. With CO2 Winery's CO2 Water equipment, it can be injected into the winery's water system to gasify water and acidify it, thus reducing water consumption.

On the other hand, many market gardeners, such as greenhouse tomato growers, use CO2 to accelerate photosynthesis and plant growth. Biogenic CO2, easily injected into water, is also used by producers of microalgae such as spirulina to regulate the pH of water, while complying with organic farming standards. This biogas is also used to fill fire extinguishers and keep fruit cold, prolonging its shelf life.

Whether in gaseous or liquid form, biogenic CO2 is a major asset for a variety of industries where CO2 is an indispensable raw material, enabling versatile, sustainable and economical practices.

Log on now at http://plateforme.co2bio.fr to buy or resell your biogenic CO2, depending on your needs.

With global warming, higher temperatures mean higher alcohol levels in wines. Grapes, richer in sugar at harvest time, produce higher-alcohol wines. This affects wine quality, which no longer meets consumer expectations.

To meet this challenge, W Platform has developed the LESS ALCO solution. Supported by the Inno'Vin cluster, this project aims to develop a process for reducing the alcohol content of wines by a few degrees during the fermentation phase.

Echos de Bordeaux talks about it in its article "Projet collaboratif Lessalco": "Initially, a technical feasibility study was carried out in the laboratory and under semi-industrial conditions, using CO2 stripping. This study made it possible to validate the benefits of the imagined process, to predefine operating parameters to optimize the process, and to quantify the impact on aromatic complexity wines produced at the end of fermentation, by analyzing the wines and the water/alcohol mixture obtained.

Jean-Philippe Ricard, co-founder of W Platform, states:  "Inno'vin helped launch the project by validating the technical interest and facilitating the obtaining of subsidies from BPI France and the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region. Inno'vin also enabled us to identify expert professors in this field within the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, which in turn enabled us to call on an intern to carry out the first laboratory tests, supervised by Rémy Ghidossi, as well as a student to write a thesis on the project.""

In a second phase, in 2023, the company entered a development phase with the demonstration of the process in real-life conditions and the development of a working prototype.

During the third phase, from 2024 to 2025, the system will be fine-tuned with a pre-production run and several real-life tests to adjust usage protocols to guarantee a reduction of 0.5 to 2 degrees of alcohol while preserving aromas and with very low energy consumption."

The stripping method using CO2 to reduce the alcohol content of wine is an innovative process that preserves the organoleptic qualities of wine. The technique begins with the injection of carbon dioxide into the wine. The gaseous CO2 forms bubbles that circulate through the liquid. Because of ethanol's volatile properties, the CO2 bubbles attract and capture the alcohol present in the wine.

As the CO2 bubbles rise to the surface, they carry alcohol molecules with them, allowing them to be extracted from the wine without the need for a temperature rise. This low-temperature method is crucial to preserving the wine's delicate aromas and unique flavors, avoiding the organoleptic alterations that other dealcoholization methods can cause.

The alcohol-laden CO2 is then separated from the wine in a stripping column. This process is repeated until the desired alcohol content is reached. The CO2 used can be recycled and reintroduced into the system, making the method more economical and ecological.

This CO2 stripping technique is particularly advantageous for maintaining wines with the same or slightly lower alcohol content despite global warming, in response to growing consumer demand for less alcoholic beverages. It also makes it possible to comply with current legislation on alcohol content, while maintaining the quality and distinctive character of the wine. This method ensures that wines retain their distinctive character and organoleptic qualities, and enables winemakers to continue producing high-quality wines in a changing environment...

The spin-offs of this project are many and promising. The W Platform project is positioned on a global scale, and incorporates other major innovations that enable fermentative CO2 to be reused directly in wineries and vineyards. This approach is fully in line with a circular economy approach, enabling winegrowers to reduce their purchases of CO2 of fossil origin, and contributing to their CSR commitments. 

The Bordeaux-based company ensures local production of its main equipment, and has enjoyed strong growth over the past 1 year. Within the next five years, the company plans to increase its workforce to around thirty.

Link to Echos de Bordeaux article: https://echos-bordeaux.com/projet-collaboratif-lessalco/

INNO'VIN talks about : https://innovin.fr/projets/lessalco/

On March 5, W Platform successfully completed its first round of financing, raising 2 million euros. This round of financing, led by the VitiRev Innovation fund and managed by Demeter Investment Managers, will enable the deployment of our CO2 Winery solution in France and abroad.

This round of financing marks a major step forward in our mission to revolutionize the management of fermentative CO2 in the wine industry. In France, the wine industry produces over 336,000 tonnes of fermentative CO2 every year. Our solution for capturing and recovering biogenic CO2 is crucial. Not only does it reduce the cost of purchasing biogenic CO2 for winegrowers, it also reduces their carbon footprint, thus contributing to a more sustainable circular economy.

Expansion and Strategic Objectives

Thanks to this financial support, we plan to intensify our commercial expansion on both national and international markets. This includes setting up regional and national distributor networks to facilitate the adoption of our technology by winemakers. Since its launch in December 2022, our CO2 Winery offering has already won over major players in the wine industry such as 1er Grand Cru Classé Château Latour, Les Grands Chais de France, as well as renowned family estates like Château Respide and Château Peychaud.

We also plan to strengthen our operational infrastructure by developing a strategically located assembly site in the Bordeaux region. This initiative aims to optimize our production and distribution capacities, while ensuring optimum quality of service for our customers. In addition, we plan to consolidate our current teams and structure our top management with the recruitment of a Chief Operating Officer dedicated to the day-to-day management of our operations.

Investor reactions and future prospects

Amaury Kalt, Investment Director at Demeter Investment Managers, said: " We are delighted to support W Platform, which directly addresses the growing environmental concerns of the wine industry. This investment is perfectly aligned with our investment strategy focused on innovative and sustainable solutions.. "

The €2 million fund-raising round was enthusiastically received by investors, underlining not only the relevance of Winery's CO2 technology but also W Platform's growth potential in the global biogenic CO2 management market. Future prospects include expansion into new international wine-growing markets, consolidation of strategic partnerships with other industry players, and continuous improvement of CO2 capture and recovery technology.

A turning point for W Platform

In conclusion, the recent fundraising marks a significant turning point for W Platform, confirming its leadership role in the capture and recovery of biogenic CO2. With a reinforced commitment to sustainable innovation and strategic international expansion, W Platform is well positioned to meet the environmental challenges of the wine industry and beyond. We are grateful to our investors and partners for their continued support, and look forward to the next steps in our journey towards a greener, more sustainable future.