Plaato

Plaato, a Norwegian technology company established in Oslo in 2015, provides digital monitoring solutions for the fermentation industry. The company was founded by Pål Ingebrigtsen and Michael Kononsky, who identified a need to monitor the biochemical processes occurring within sealed fermentation tanks. Initially targeting the home-brewing market, Plaato developed sensors to help hobbyists digitize the fermentation process and utilize actionable data. The firm has since expanded its focus to the professional brewing market, including breweries, cideries, and distilleries.

The core of Plaato's business is a hardware-plus-software model, combining physical sensors with a cloud-based platform. The main product, the Plaato Pro, is a plug-and-play sensor that uses tuning fork technology to provide real-time, non-invasive measurements of a liquid's specific gravity (density) and temperature. This data is transmitted to the Plaato platform, accessible via mobile and web apps, offering continuous monitoring and generating a unique "fingerprint" for each fermentation batch. This system replaces the need for manual sampling, a process that is both time-consuming and can lead to waste. By providing continuous data, breweries can pinpoint the exact end of fermentation, potentially increasing tank turnover and production capacity by up to 10%. Another product, the PLAATO Edge, is an industrial gateway that connects to a brewery's existing Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), gathering data from all connected sensors to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire production process, from grain to glass.

Plaato operates on a B2B model, serving over 250 small to medium-sized breweries, cideries, and distilleries across more than 32 countries, with the U.S. being its largest market. Revenue is generated through the sale of its hardware (Plaato Pro and Plaato Edge) and likely through access to its SaaS platform, which offers features like bottleneck detection, demand forecasting, and automated Clean-In-Place (CIP) tracking. The company has secured a total of $4.78 million in funding, including a notable investment round in 2023 that raised $1.78 million to fuel commercial growth and product development. Plaato's technology integrates with other brewery management software, enhancing its utility for clients.

Keywords: fermentation monitoring, brewery technology, IoT sensors, SaaS, craft beer, production optimization, real-time data analytics, specific gravity sensor, food tech, beverage manufacturing