An Eco-Friendly Startup

The start up TomaPaint srl has been founded at the beginning of March 2019. The cofounders are Angela Montanari, Stefano Chiesa, Alessandro Chiesa and Tommaso Barbieri.

The core business of the project is the industrialization and commercialization of a natural bio-resin obtained from industrial tomato processing by-products (mainly skins).

The bio-resin will be the main component of a bio-lacquer, intended for the application on the internal and external surfaces of the metal cans for foodstuffs in substitution of the traditional, standard oil-based lacquers. The starting material is cutin, a component of the cuticle of the tomato peels.

How The Innovative Idea Was Born

The idea of ​​a green startup like TomaPaint, despite being at the forefront and revolutionary, is based on an old patent developed by the Experimental Station for the Food Preserved Industry (SSICA), an Italian public research organization, in the 40’s and on the work in the context of several European projects, FP7 BIOCOPAC, LIFe BiocopacPlus and BBI-H2020 Agrimax.

The finding by co-founder Angela Montanari happened by chance: while doing researches in the library of the SSICA she was struck by a paper entitled “Varnishes derived from gum resin extracted from tomato skins and their application to packaging for canned food”.

Angela Montanari at the awarding of the StartCup Emilia-Romagna

Elena, Stefano and Alessandro Chiesa

The idea immediately flashed in her mind, thinking about the 150,000 tons of tomato waste produced each year in Italy: why not try to exploit these wastes to create a product that is not only eco-sustainable but also a valid alternative to the synthetic equivalent?

After the first positive and promising experiments in the laboratory, various European funds and the collaboration with Stefano Chiesa, an agricultural entrepreneur which immediately believed in the project, the ecological startup was born, in perfect harmony with the concepts of circular and green economy.

How The Innovative Idea Was Born

The idea of ​​a green startup like TomaPaint, despite being at the forefront and revolutionary, is based on an old patent developed by the Experimental Station for the Food Preserved Industry (SSICA), an Italian public research organization, in the 40’s and on the work in the context of several European projects, FP7 BIOCOPAC, LIFe BiocopacPlus and BBI-H2020 Agrimax.

The finding by co-founder Angela Montanari happened by chance: while doing researches in the library of the SSICA she was struck by a paper entitled “Varnishes derived from gum resin extracted from tomato skins and their application to packaging for canned food”.

Angela Montanari at the awarding of the StartCup Emilia-Romagna

The idea immediately flashed in her mind, thinking about the 150,000 tons of tomato waste produced each year in Italy: why not try to exploit these wastes to create a product that is not only eco-sustainable but also a valid alternative to the synthetic equivalent?

After the first positive and promising experiments in the laboratory, various European funds and the collaboration with Stefano Chiesa, an agricultural entrepreneur which immediately believed in the project, the ecological startup was born, in perfect harmony with the concepts of circular and green economy.

Elena, Stefano and Alessandro Chiesa

Staff

Angela Montanari, Tommaso Barbieri, Alessandro Chiesa, Stefano Chiesa

Angela Montanari

CEO

Tommaso Barbieri

Cofounder

Stefano Chiesa

Legal representative

Alessandro Chiesa

Cofounder

Awards And Recognitions

The original idea of TomaPaint is based on a research work of almost 10 years (2012 – 2019) carried out as part of the European projects FP7 BIOCOPAC (800,000 Euros), LIFE BiocopacPlus (2 million Euros) and BBI-H2020 Agrimax (12 million Euros).

May 2018

N

First classified in the Climate Launchpad

October 2018

N

Second place in the Start Cup Emilia-Romagna

November 2018

N

Finalist for the Global Climate Launchpad

November 2018

N

Matheria prize at the national PIN

March 2019

N

Startup Foundation

May 2019

N

Selected for participation in Climate KIC first phase Emilia Romagna

May 2019

N

Selected for participation in Climate KIC second phase Emilia Romagna

November 2019

N

Seal of Excelence – SME Instrument H2020, European Commission

CONTACTS INFO
TomaPaint S.r.l.
Registered Office: Via Cantelli, 5 - 43121 Parma (PR), Italy
Operational Headquarters: Strada Canneto-Asola 46/b - 45013 Canneto sull'Oglio (MN), Italy
VAT Number: 02900440344
Email: info@tomapaint.com
Phone: (+39) 3488139385

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