The Netherlands bets big on alt-protein infrastructure as two new scaleup facilities open their doors

The Netherlands is doubling down on its position as a global hub for alternative protein innovation with the launch of two national-scale, open-access infrastructure projects: the Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF) in Ede and Cultivate at Scale (CaS) in Maastricht. These facilities aim to solve one of the most persistent hurdles in cellular agriculture – bridging the gap between lab success and market-scale production.

“For early-stage companies working with genetically modified microorganisms or cultivated cells, the challenge isn’t proving you can make proteins – pharma companies have been doing that for decades,” said Marcel Oogink, Managing Director of BFF. “The challenge lies in scaling from lab to commercial production in bioreactors of thousands of liters, while still complying with food safety standards and remaining cost-competitive with traditional protein sources.”

BFF, which is still under construction, will focus on precision fermentation and microbial biomass production. It’s designed specifically for startups and scale-ups that require bioprocessing environments suited to regulated food-grade production – a type of infrastructure rarely accessible to early ventures. Through partnerships with NIZO Food Research, BFF is already offering access to food-grade pilot plant equipment and services that simulate the final facility’s capabilities.

“Bioreactors, spray dryers, mixers, and other equipment are set up flexibly to mimic future BFF processes,” Oogink explained. “Companies can already test upstream fermentation and downstream formulation – from microbial performance to food product design.”

CaS, by contrast, is focused on cell cultivation. Located in Maastricht and already operational, the facility supports companies developing cultivated meat, dairy, or other cell-based products. Together, the two projects offer complementary services within the broader cellular agriculture ecosystem – a strategy intentionally designed by the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands (CAN) foundation.

“CaS focuses on cell cultivation upscaling, for instance for the generation of cultivated meat products, but also for the production of cell-based ingredients like milk proteins,” said Oogink. “BFF focuses on precision fermentation, microbial biomass production and side stream valorization through microbial fermentation processes – making proteins, fats, enzymes and other relevant foods and ingredients using microorganisms, that are in some cases genetically engineered.”

Supported by €12.5 million from the Dutch National Growth Fund and additional co-financing from the Perspectieffonds Gelderland, the facilities are rooted in a public-private model that aims to “reduce duplication, pool resources, and keep the Netherlands at the forefront of sustainable food innovation,” said Oogink.

The services offered extend well beyond hardware access. Startups can tap into strain or cell line optimization, process development, food application testing, and direct links to regulatory and QA support. “We’re not just providing equipment,” said Oogink. “We’re providing the expertise needed to turn scientific promise into consumer-ready products.”

One of the most critical pain points for alt-protein startups is regulatory approval. With both EU and US frameworks requiring extensive documentation and food-grade sample data, facilities like BFF and CaS offer crucial production capacity for validation. “Through NIZO, companies get support navigating EU Novel Foods applications and international regulatory pathways,” said Oogink. “BFF and CaS can support in the generation of sufficient material, in required food-grade batch formats that is needed to generate the required data.”

BFF will be built to food-grade and GMP-like standards, ensuring that the output can be used not just for internal validation, but also in official safety and nutritional assessments. “This ensures that data and samples from our processes are accepted by regulators and partners – accelerating the path to commercialization,” said Oogink.

At the heart of the project is a commitment to ecosystem-level thinking. “It’s the combination of visionary public investment, deep scientific talent, and a collaborative spirit,” Oogink said, when asked what sets the Netherlands apart as a hub. “We have critical mass – not just of companies, but of regulators, financiers, and facilities. That ecosystem approach is what makes us different.”

To foster this ecosystem, BFF and CaS host informal exchanges, peer-to-peer learning sessions, and thematic workshops – in addition to larger collaborative R&D consortia. “While companies don’t share IP, they share learning. That collaborative culture is baked into our model – it’s how we move faster as a sector.”

As the facilities begin to serve a new generation of foodtech startups, the long-term ambition is clear. “We hope to see dozens of new food products on the market – powered by fermentation or cultivated processes – that passed through BFF and CaS,” said Oogink. “If in five years, we’ve helped startups become scale-ups and Europe become more food-resilient, we’ve succeeded.”