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Canberra-based precision fermentation startup Nourish Ingredients has announced plans to establish its global commercial hub in the Netherlands, tapping into Europe's robust food manufacturing industry as it looks to roll out its Tastilux animal-free fats range worldwide.
Nourish Ingredients combines nature’s most potent lipids with cutting-edge science to create the fats that make meat delicious and dairy irresistibly creamy. It also has a dairy fat substitute called Creamilux.
The news comes just over a month after the group crossed a regulatory threshold in the US, where the primary ingredient behind Tastilux - Mortierella alpina biomass (S11) - has been recognised as safe for use as a flavouring in food, paving the way for immediate sales to US food manufacturers and brands.
The new facility at BioPartner 5 in Leiden will house innovation capabilities, product development, customer demonstration facilities and commercial operations. Co-founder and chief technology officer Anna El Tahchy has also relocated to lead the European operations.
BioPartner 5 is the first energy-neutral laboratory of the Netherlands, designed to be energy-efficient, circular, and aligned with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement of 2015.
"Setting up a hub in Europe represents an enormous opportunity for Nourish Ingredients as we scale our animal-free fats globally," says Nourish Ingredients co-founder and CEO James Petrie.
"The region is home to the world’s largest food manufacturers, brands and provides unparalleled support for sustainable food innovation.
"Establishing our commercial hub in the Netherlands allows us to work directly with European customers and partners, tapping into local networks that will accelerate our growth."
The Dutch facility will feature a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen, enabling food manufacturers to experience firsthand how Nourish Ingredients’ fats can enhance their own products, alongside specialised food and sensory laboratories focused on applications development to support rapid rapid product customisation for European and global markets.
"Europe offers an ideal environment for the next stage of our growth, with a highly supportive ecosystem and some of the world’s leading food companies based here," says El Tahchy, who has a master's degree in food chemistry from the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris, whose long list of famed alumni includes the godfather of pasteurisation, Louis Pasteur.
"Combined with a deep pool of scientific and commercial talent and its reputation as a hub for food innovation, Europe is the natural next step in our global journey. We’re looking forward to building our team here and working closely with local partners."
The BioPartner 5 facility will also position Nourish Ingredients as a neighbour to Vivici, a company supported by European DSM-Firmenich and New Zealand's Fonterra, that develops animal-free dairy proteins. Nourish believes this proximity creates opportunities for knowledge sharing and potential future collaborations between complementary food technology companies.
"We’re excited to welcome Nourish Ingredients as our neighbour at BioPartner 5," says Vivici CEO Stephan van Sint Fiet.
"Having innovative companies focused on sustainable food solutions working side by side creates tremendous opportunities for knowledge sharing and potential projects. We have found having a base in the EU to be incredibly advantageous, opening us up to some of the most influential food and beverage companies globally."
Nourish Ingredients expects to have its Netherlands facility fully operational by 2026. The company plans to host a formal opening event and customer sampling showcase in 2026 once operations are fully established.
"We’re delighted to welcome Nourish Ingredients to BioPartner 5," says Thijs De Kleer, director of BioPartner at the Leiden Bio Science Park.
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