Pilot contract manufacturers in Europe

Italy

Drying — Spray drying · Encapsulation — Spray coating

Spray drying and microencapsulation pilot/contract characterization service.

Ede, Netherlands

Fermentation — Precision · Fermentation — Biomass · Alt-protein — Precision-fermentation proteins (BLG, casein, lactoferrin, ovalbumin, heme) +3 more

Open-access precision and biomass fermentation upscaling facility (1,000 L and 10,000 L GEA-supplied systems) at NIZO's Food Innovation Campus, bridging the missing middle between lab proof and first commercial production. Pilot operations 2027.

Maastricht, Netherlands

Fermentation — Precision · Alt-protein — Cultivated meat scaffolds · Alt-protein — Precision-fermentation proteins (BLG, casein, lactoferrin, ovalbumin, heme)

Open-access European scale-up centre for cell-culture innovation (cultivated meat, dairy and beyond), spun out of Mosa Meat in 2024 with Dutch National Growth Fund backing.

Etten-Leur, Netherlands

Drying — Spray drying · Encapsulation — Microencapsulation

Pure-play tolling and contract spray-drying business with >30 years' experience in particle drying for heat-sensitive powders, flavours, encapsulated ingredients and food/chemical powders.

Zwolle, Netherlands

Drying — Spray drying · Drying — Fluid bed drying

Equipment OEM with pilot drying facility (70 kg/h to 4,000+ kg/h water evaporation) used for early-stage spray-drying scale-up of dairy and food powders.

Wieselburg, Austria

Bakery — Bread · Drying — Spray drying

Wieselburg agricultural school plus pilot agri-food.

Oeiras, Portugal

Fermentation — Precision · Drying — Spray drying

Universidade NOVA de Lisboa institute for microbiology, fermentation and food chemistry pilot resources.

Maastricht, Netherlands

Fermentation — Biomass · Alt-protein — Cultivated meat scaffolds

Cultivated-meat company operating Mosa C.A.M.P.U.S. (~7,340 m²), the world's largest cultivated-meat campus. Spun off Cultivate at Scale as an open-access European scale-up partner.

Ede, Netherlands

Fermentation — Lactic acid bacteria · Fermentation — Biomass · Fermentation — Precision +4 more

Europe's largest open-access food-grade pilot plant. Offers explicit toll manufacturing services in spray drying, fermentation and downstream processing; produces lactic acid for dsm-firmenich. Hosts the Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF) and the NoPalm demo factory.

Wageningen, Netherlands

Fermentation — Precision · Oils & fats — Specialty fats · Oils & fats — Edible oils (refined, virgin, organic)

Yeast-oil precision fermentation specialist producing palm-oil alternatives. Operates a Demo Factory at NIZO's Food Innovation Campus, with first industrial production targeted for H2 2026.

Belgium

Fermentation — Precision · Alt-protein — Precision-fermentation proteins (BLG, casein, lactoferrin, ovalbumin, heme)

Belgian biotech start-up developing animal-free heme analogues via precision fermentation.

Bydgoszcz, Poland

Drying — Spray drying

Bydgoszcz University of Technology food engineering pilot.

Netherlands

Drying — Spray drying · Drying — Belt drying · Drying — Fluid bed drying

Spray drying systems supplier with pilot facilities (from 10 kg/h) used for trials and short tolling runs in food, feed, pharma and chemicals.

Wroclaw, Poland

Fermentation — Precision

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences food bioengineering pilot.