MicroHarvest accelerates the pace to reach its multi-kiloton production goal

• Three years later, the company is already in the market with a commercial production scale of 1 ton/day

• Having validated the growth for kT's annual production, the company now aims to reach up to 15,000 tons/year by the end of 2026

• Company making rapid progress with Series B fundraising

MicroHarvest its ability to scale its production process to 10 tons per day, representing a tenfold increase over its current capacity. This significant progress validates MicroHarvest's ability to supply microbial protein in quantities that meet commercial demands, with plans for a large-scale facility capable of producing up to 15,000 tons annually by the end of 2026.

Test results confirmed that deformation performance and critical process parameters remain consistent with smaller-scale production, ensuring robust scalability as MicroHarvest progresses to industrial-scale operations. Furthermore, the test demonstrated the speed and resilience of the MicroHarvest seed train – completing the entire process, from cryotube to large-scale production, ten times faster than traditional seed trains in the food industry.

Consistent and impressive scalability milestones achieved by MicroHarvest in the biotechnology industry make it an undisputed leader in the novel ingredients space and have encouraged and accelerated the company's progress toward the first closing of its Series B funding efforts.

Katelijne Bekers, CEO of MicroHarvest, stated: “Feed and food producers face high pressure to adopt new ingredients within 3 to 5 years, but scaling up these ingredients has been a bottleneck for the B2B ingredients market. Initial tests require hundreds of kilograms or even tons of product to test, followed by consistent, large-scale production in the thousands of tons. While many biotech startups struggle to scale their production beyond small pilot volumes in the range of a few kilograms, we have always successfully piloted with 50-100 kg of product. Furthermore, we have also found a solution to address the industry's urgent need to diversify protein sources on a large scale. Our proven process stability at scale has put us in a unique position to truly meet market demand in 2026.”

MicroHarvest conducted its first pilot test less than 6 months after starting in the laboratory. Now, just 3 years later, they are already demonstrating robust production at commercial scale. The success of this new large-scale test has solidified MicroHarvest's confidence in the essential engineering parameters for its next production unit, putting the company on track to meet its long-term commercial production goals.

“We have found that new demonstration plants often face problems in the initial phase, as the process is sensitive to contamination or unexpected technical disruptions at the laboratory scale. This leads to delays that can last more than a year. In the worst case, it makes profitability unattainable, as production losses significantly harm the unit's economics,” says Jonathan Roberz, COO of MicroHarvest. “Our R&D and Pilot teams have focused from the outset on minimizing these problems. Our technology reduces the risk of contamination and focuses on the rapid recovery of production in the face of technical problems. Having overcome all other technological barriers, MicroHarvest is committed to achieving its kiloton production target.”

MicroHarvest's microbial fermentation process produces proteins with a fraction of the carbon footprint of traditional plant- and animal-based proteins. By utilizing agricultural by-products as feedstock, MicroHarvest minimizes the need for fossil fuels or additional land, significantly reducing environmental impact. Earlier this year, the startup collaborated with animal-free pet food producer VEGDOG to launch “Pure Bites,” a microbial protein treatment for dogs, the first of its kind. Furthermore, validation and application trials are underway or planned in salmon and shrimp with several global aquatic feed producers involved, encompassing millions of metric tons of feed. Looking to the future, the company plans to expand applications into human nutrition, positioning MicroHarvest as a full-fledged player at the forefront of sustainable protein innovation.

With the growing demand in the nutrition sector, MicroHarvest is well-positioned to lead the way in sustainable and scalable protein production, contributing to a more resilient and environmentally friendly food system.