Cotierra raises $3 million to scale decentralized biochar technology across tropical agriculture

Zurich-based climate technology company Cotierra has raised $3 million in a funding round co-led by Paulig’s venture arm PINC and Carbon Removal Partners. The investment brings Cotierra’s total funding since its founding to about $4.75 million and will support the industrialization of its decentralized biochar reactors and digital platform.

Cotierra develops systems that allow agricultural businesses to convert residual biomass into biochar close to where it is generated. The company says the approach can return carbon to soils while helping address agricultural waste, soil degradation and supply-chain emissions. Its technology has been deployed in the coffee sector, and the company is now expanding its model to cocoa, cotton and citrus, supported by what it describes as a strong order backlog.

The funding round also included Zürcher Kantonalbank, Carbon Drawdown Initiative, better ventures, GOTA Ventures, Hungry4Impact and Triple Impact Ventures, as well as climate- and impact-focused angel investors. Cotierra said the new capital will help turn its field deployments into repeatable, multi-year commercial projects across agricultural regions and value chains.

Cotierra CEO and co-founder Thomas Käslin said the company aims to make decentralized biochar a scalable solution for agricultural businesses seeking to improve farmer productivity and resilience while reducing emissions and removing carbon.