The Protein Brewery

About The Protein Brewery

The Protein Brewery is a Dutch food technology company that produces a proprietary, fungi-based food ingredient called Fermotein® through a biomass fermentation process. The company was founded in January 2020 as a spin-off from the industrial biotechnology firm BioscienZ by Wim de Laat, a fermentation technologist and molecular biologist. De Laat was inspired to find a more efficient food source after reading an article about the inefficiencies of the current food system, particularly the land and resources used for animal feed.

The company's business model is B2B, supplying its Fermotein® ingredient to food manufacturers. The product is a whole-food ingredient available as a wet cake or dry powder, rich in protein, fiber, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Due to its neutral taste, color, and odor, Fermotein® is designed for easy integration into a wide array of food applications without the need for masking agents, including meat alternatives, baked goods, snacks, dairy alternatives, and nutritional products like protein shakes. The production process uses a patented fungal strain and is described as being more sustainable and scalable than traditional animal protein, using significantly less land and water. Unlike some alternative protein production methods, the company grows a non-GMO strain of fungi and uses the entire biomass, avoiding complex extraction processes.

Headquartered in Breda, the Netherlands, The Protein Brewery operates a pilot plant that opened in June 2021 and has been scaling up its production capabilities. The company has secured regulatory approvals for Fermotein® in the United States (Self-Affirmed GRAS) and Singapore, with approvals pending in the European Union and the United Kingdom as of late 2025. The Protein Brewery has raised significant capital to fund its expansion, including a €22 million Series A round in 2020 and a €30 million Series B round in September 2025, with investors including Novo Holdings, Unovis Asset Management, Roquette Ventures, Invest-NL, and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM). The firm is focused on global commercial expansion, with plans to launch with US customers and expand operations in Singapore.