What Enifer does

Enifer is a Finnish biotech company headquartered in Espoo that produces PEKILO®, a mycoprotein ingredient manufactured through fungal fermentation of agricultural and forest industry by-products. Founded in 2020, the company re-commercializes a fermentation process that was operated at industrial scale during 1975-1991, optimizing it for modern food, pet food, and aquafeed applications. The product portfolio comprises three drop-in ingredient variants: PEKILO® for food production (up to 55% protein, neutral taste and color, omega-6 and 35% fiber), PEKILO® for aquafeed (65% crude protein with beta-glucan and nucleotides), and PEKILO® for pet food (over 60% protein, EU approved). The production process uses circular-economy side streams, requires no new agricultural land, generates minimal nutrient runoff, and achieves over 70% lower GHG emissions compared to imported soy protein.

The company operates a B2B ingredient sales model, selling PEKILO® powder directly to food, pet food, and aquafeed manufacturers under negotiated multi-year contracts. Its go-to-motion combines enterprise field sales with strategic co-development partnerships, working directly with manufacturers such as Valio, Prima Pet, and Rovio Pet Foods to embed PEKILO® into commercial product portfolios. Enifer is building a €30-33 million commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Kantvik (Kirkkonummi), Finland, with a planned capacity of 3,000 tonnes (3 million kg) annually, expected completion in late 2025. The company holds EU Novel Food approval, EU pet food approval, and self-affirmed GRAS status (September 2025), and submitted a GRAS dossier to the US FDA in March 2026.

Enifer has raised an €11 million Series A (April 2023) led by Aqua-Spark plus €12 million+ in grants from Business Finland and the EU's NextGenerationEU, with additional rounds reported in 2024 from Taaleri Bioindustry, Finnish Climate Fund, Finnvera Venture Capital, and existing backers. Key institutional investors include Aqua-Spark, Tesi, Valio, Voima Ventures, Nordic Foodtech VC, and Taaleri Bioindustry, with Valio also serving as a strategic supply chain co-developer. The five-member founding leadership team (CEO Simo Ellilä, CSO Anssi Rantasalo, COO Joosu Kuivanen, CCO Heikki Keskitalo, and Chief Engineering Officer Ville Pihlajaniemi) remains in place.

Name

Enifer

Legal name

Enifer

Website

https://eniferbio.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Enifer is a Finnish biotech company that produces PEKILO® mycoprotein through fungal fermentation of agricultural and forest by-products, selling the protein ingredient to food, pet food, and aquafeed manufacturers as a sustainable alternative to soy and animal protein.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Protein Ingredients

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (31111), Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mycoprotein & Fungal Proteins (Fusarium/Mycelium-Based) (AFAJAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Algae & Seaweed Proteins (Microalgae/Spirulina, Macroalgae) (AFAJAHAF), Mycoprotein-Based Foods Manufacturing (AFAKAGAG), Proteins & Functional Nutrition Ingredients (Plant/Animal Proteins, Collagen, Amino Acids) (CRADAOAJ)

Keywords

• Mycoprotein ingredients
• Fungal fermentation technology
• Sustainable protein production
• Aquafeed protein ingredients
• Pet food ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Espoo

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. PEKILO Ingredient Sales: B2B sales of mycoprotein ingredients to food, pet food, and aquafeed manufacturers. Revenue generated from selling PEKILO powder as an ingredient for incorporation into customer products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Enifer manufactures and sells PEKILO®, a fungal mycoprotein ingredient produced through proprietary fermentation of agricultural and forest industry by-products. The company offers specialized variants for human food, aquafeed, and pet food applications, serving as a drop-in protein ingredient for industrial manufacturers.

Product overview

Enifer offers a portfolio of PEKILO® mycoprotein ingredients produced through fungal fermentation of agricultural by-products. The core product line includes: (1) PEKILO® - the flagship mycoprotein ingredient for food production containing 55% protein, fiber, and omega-6; (2) PEKILO® for aquafeed - a specialized 65% crude protein variant with beta-glucan for aquaculture; and (3) PEKILO® for pet food - an animal-free high-protein ingredient approved for EU pet food use. All products are derived from the same proprietary fungal fermentation technology platform, functioning as drop-in ingredients that can replace traditional protein sources like soy and animal proteins across food, aquafeed, and pet food applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PEKILO® A highly nutritious fungi-based mycoprotein with neutral taste and color, containing up to 55% protein, balanced amino acid profile, omega-6 fatty acids, and 35% fiber. Functions as a versatile drop-in ingredient for food manufacturers producing meat alternatives, protein supplements, and baked goods.
• PEKILO® for aquafeed A mycoprotein ingredient containing 65% crude protein, beta-glucan, and nucleotides, formulated as a drop-in ingredient for aquaculture feed manufacturers. Designed to enable more sustainably farmed fish and reduce reliance on imported soy protein.
• PEKILO® for pet food A high-protein, animal-free drop-in ingredient for pet food production with over 60% protein content. EU approved for pet food use. Designed for pet food manufacturers producing sustainable wet and dry pet food formulations including semi-moist dog treats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70% reduction in GHG emissions compared to imported soy protein
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rovio Pet FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Collaboration to develop semi-moist dog treats using Enifer's PEKILO® mycoprotein ingredient. Project aims to demonstrate application of fungal-based protein in pet treats with plans to showcase product at Interzoo 2026 in Nuremberg.
• Prima PetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026First in Finland to develop dry pet food with PEKILO® mycoprotein. Collaboration to incorporate the sustainable protein into commercial dry pet food products.
• ValiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy giant Valio is actively co-developing supply chains with Enifer, signaling growing interest from large food manufacturers in mycoproteins as part of their carbon reduction strategies.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quorn (Marlow Foods): The original and largest mycoprotein company, producing Quorn-branded foods via fungal fermentation. Direct competitor to Enifer in the food protein category and the de facto category incumbent whose pricing and product breadth set the competitive bar.
• Mycorena: Swedish mycoprotein startup producing Promyc fungal protein via precision fermentation. Closely comparable Nordic-stage peer using similar fungal biomass fermentation with food-grade protein output.
• Nature's Fynd: US-based fermentation protein company producing Fy nutritional protein from a proprietary fungal strain. Direct peer leveraging microbial fermentation for food protein applications across consumer and B2B channels.

Emerging players

• The EVERY Company: Precision fermentation company producing animal-free proteins (egg, dairy proteins). Comparable as a fermentation-derived protein B2B ingredient supplier serving CPG manufacturers, though focused on specific proteins rather than biomass mycoprotein.
• Perfect Day: Precision fermentation producer of animal-free whey and dairy proteins via microbial fermentation. Comparable B2B fermentation-derived ingredient supplier serving food and nutraceutical markets; also expanding into pet food applications.
• Calysta: Producer of FeedKind single-cell microbial protein for aquafeed and pet food. Direct competitor to Enifer's PEKILO Aqua product line, targeting the same sustainable aquafeed ingredient opportunity.
• InnovaFeed: French producer of insect-based protein for aquafeed and pet food. Comparable as a sustainable alternative protein supplier to the same aquafeed and pet food end-markets that Enifer targets with PEKILO.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global agribusiness giant and major supplier of plant and animal protein ingredients to food, pet food, and aquafeed manufacturers. Broad incumbent with overlapping customer relationships and the ability to bundle or compete with PEKILO.
• ADM: Major global nutrition and protein ingredient supplier serving food, beverage, pet food, and animal feed markets. Broad incumbent comparable to Enifer as a B2B protein ingredient supplier with established CPG and pet food manufacturer relationships.
• Roquette: Global leader in plant-based ingredients including alternative proteins (NUTRALYS pea protein, etc.) for food, pet food, and nutraceutical markets. Comparable broad incumbent offering alternative protein ingredients that compete with PEKILO for the same B2B customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfi.linkedin.com/company/enifer-bio
• Instagraminstagram.com/eniferbio
• Xx.com/EniferBio

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Enifer