PoLoPo Shifts Focus to High-Protein Potatoes for the Chips Industry

Deeptech company unveils the next generation of chips with high-protein potatoes

Tel Aviv, Israel – July 28, 2025 – PoLoPo, a B2B deeptech company developing high-protein potato varieties, today announced a strategic shift to focus on the snack industry. The company’s patented potato variety delivers up to three times the protein of conventional tubers, offering brands and food manufacturers improved varieties for making high-protein chips with no compromise on taste or texture. PoLoPo’s technology can be integrated into any potato variety, allowing brands to retain their identity while leveraging PoLoPo as the enabling platform behind the scenes.

With USDA clearance expected by end of 2025 for its proprietary bioengineered varieties, PoLoPo’s potatoes are ready for commercial use in snack applications. Most protein “chips” add powders or extra ingredients to boost nutrition, but PoLoPo takes a different approach. Instead of adding protein later, PoLoPo makes the plant grow proteins directly in the potato. No added powders and ingredients, cutting costs, supporting clean-label positioning, and preserving the familiar crunch and flavor without relying on animal inputs or heavy processing.

This is not another highly processed protein snack with a long ingredients list," said Dr. Maya Sapir-Mir, PoLoPo’s CEO. "We make the best potatoes in the world, allowing snack makers a faster, cleaner way to meet rising demand for high-protein products.

PoLoPo’s tubers can deliver up to three times the protein per serving in standard chip formats. They require no new processing lines, no new equipment, and no added ingredients, making them a drop-in solution for existing chip producers.

This shift in focus follows PoLoPo’s progress in molecular farming, where the team successfully engineered potato plants to produce animal-identical proteins. The company’s leadership recognized an opportunity to commercialize faster by leveraging its core platform to increase native potato protein instead.

We remain committed to molecular farming and protein ingredients," said Sapir-Mir. "But the chips market offers speed, scale, and regulatory clarity. It’s the right first step to bring engineered potatoes to consumers, through the world’s most loved snack.

PoLoPo is now working with manufacturers and brands to bring the first generation of high-protein chips to market. A pilot program is already underway, with additional partners invited to join.

About PoLoPo

PoLoPo is an Israeli deeptech company redefining the future of snacking by developing the world’s first high-protein potato chips, made from bioengineered potatoes that naturally contain 3x more protein.

The biotechnology startup was founded in 2022 by scientists with a deep understanding of plant genetics and protein expression. PoLoPo has won multiple innovation awards and has raised $2.3 million from leading food-tech investors including FoodLabs, Milk & Honey Ventures, CPT Capital, Siddhi Capital, Plug and Play, and Hack Capital. For more information visit www.polopo.tech.