Ghent-based industrial biotech company Zymofix, which develops manufacturing technology for beneficial microorganisms, is investing €6 million in a new flagship production facility in Deinze, Belgium, as it moves into industrial manufacturing, as Zymofix announced.
- Founded in 2022, Zymofix has developed Zyft, a solid-state fermentation and formulation platform that cultivates bacteria, fungi, and yeasts on solid substrates. The technology is designed for microorganisms that are not well suited to conventional liquid fermentation, with more than 170 strains tested on the platform.
- Zymofix currently works with more than 15 customers, including multinational agricultural-input companies, on applications such as biostimulants, biofertilisers, biocontrol products, and bioremediation.
- The company’s Series A round was led by First Imagine!, with participation from existing investors VP Capital, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and The Nest Family Office.
- The Deinze facility represents a €6 million capital expenditure investment, partly financed through the Series A and partly through revenue generated from existing customer programs. Production is expected to begin in Q4 2027, with an initial capacity of 300 tonnes per year, enough to treat approximately 1 million hectares.
- Zymofix plans to invest a further €25 million in an expansion in 2028, subject to the successful commissioning of the initial production line. This would increase annual capacity to 2,000 tonnes, corresponding to approximately 10 million hectares of treatment.
- As demand for microbial solutions grows, Zymofix aims to address the manufacturing bottleneck for microorganisms that cannot be efficiently produced using conventional fermentation. Its Zyft platform provides an alternative production route for these microbes, supporting their commercial deployment across agriculture and other industries.
- Zymofix currently employs around 35 people and plans to grow its team to approximately 45 by the end of 2026 and 60 by the end of 2027, as it expands its manufacturing, technical, and commercial operations.
