Relocalize, the innovator behind autonomous micro-factories designed for the food and beverage sector, has successfully secured $2.5 million in the initial closing of a $3.5 million seed funding round. The investment was led by i4 Capital and Waterpoint Lane.
These funds will be allocated to further develop and prepare Relocalize’s autonomous production platform for scalability.
In March 2023, Southeastern Grocers unveiled a partnership with Relocalize to initiate a pilot program featuring an autonomous micro-factory named “RELO.” This micro-factory is situated at the Jacksonville distribution center of the retailer. Positioned within distribution and fulfillment centers of retailers, RELO units are tasked with on-demand production of consumer packaged goods (CPG) for 100 to 200 retail stores. Each RELO operates with the full capabilities of a conventional factory but at approximately 1/20th of the scale. The primary goal is to eliminate 100% of CO2 emissions and waste associated with transportation.
The pilot RELO is currently focused on producing locally sourced, certified plastic-negative packaged ice for nearby supermarkets in Florida. Relocalize has plans to deploy multiple additional systems aimed at enhancing climate change mitigation.
D. Wayne McIntyre, Co-founder and CEO of Relocalize, highlighted the significance of this achievement, stating, “This is a big step towards a truck-free future for our food system. It reflects both the urgent need to decarbonize food production and the high market demand for sustainable and affordable products.”
Tim Tokarsky, Founder & Managing Partner of i4 Capital, expressed confidence in Relocalize’s micro-manufacturing technology and its potential to revolutionize consumer access to quality food and beverage products. He remarked, “The world’s first hyper-local micro-factory for packaged ice is just the beginning; numerous applications will leverage their disruptive manufacturing platform, directly cutting GHG emissions.”