ABOUT SIMIÆN
A new botanical category
SIMIÆN is built on lichen — one of the oldest life forms on earth, a symbiosis of fungus and algae that has survived ice ages and covers roughly 7% of the planet’s land surface. Almost none of it has ever been fermented, poured, or tasted.
Lichen grows on stone, in exposure, without soil. It takes years to form, and it answers to no recipe. That slowness is not a limitation we work around — it’s the source of the flavor itself: a bitterness and depth no cultivated botanical can replicate, because no cultivated botanical has spent a thousand years learning to endure.
SIMIÆN exists for a simple reason: the most interesting botanical on earth had no category yet. We built one.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Lichens are our inspiration and our source.
FOUNDERS & TEAM
Simiæn was founded to bridge design research and tangible products. Creating a movement toward conscious consumption.
Julia Schwarz is a designer and educator at the New Design University. Her work explores food, design and speculative futures.
Lisi Penker is a business strategist and developer with focus on food & beverage.
Brought to life with: Mia Dragicevic, Dajana Kajtazova, Anna Wibke Münz, Johannes Schartner, Kelyan Lecompte, Zuzanna Hofman
THE SIMIÆN WORLD
Botanical Islandic Moss Apertifs & Stone Tableware
We ferment it in small batches, never heat-treated, low in histamine, without sulfites. The result is a taste that reads less like a cocktail and more like a landscape — mineral, layered, unmistakably its own. Our handcrafted Austrian stone cups are designed for generations of use and carrying its unique geological signature.
We create Tasting Landscapes. Complete sensory journeys from visual impression to lingering finish.
Why It Matters
In a world of synthetic experiences, Simiæn offers something ancient, tangible, and real. We’re not following trends. We’re questioning the future of nourishment itself. Sustainability isn’t about doing less harm—it’s about working with what has already proven its worth over millennia. Every bottle. Every cup. Is an act of remembrance.
For You: Shop with Us
You understand that taste is experience, that objects matter, that beauty and sustainability are inseparable.
Each product invites you to taste landscapes, touch time, remember resilience.
For Partners: Let's Collaborate
We’re looking for partners who believe the future of food requires reimagining the present.
Hospitality & Hotels
Signature aperitifs, immersive tastings, custom vessels
Fine Dining
Curated pairings, collaborative formulations, tasting events
Premium Distributors
wholesale partnerships across Europe
Retail & Concept Stores
exclusive distribution, co-designed displays
Design & Architecture
interior installations, custom commissions
Catering & Events
immersive dining experiences, seminars
Educators
workshops, student collaborations, research partnerships
Our Foundation
Born from a documentary-fiction exploring lichen as a future food source by Julia Schwarz.
Lichen grows slowly on stone. Stone remembers what we’ve forgotten.
This is Simiæn.
A radical vision. A design philosophy. An invitation to return.
As seen in:
collaborators
supporters
