What Berkeley Yeast does

Berkeley Yeast (legal entity Berkeley Fermentation Science Inc.) is a private biotechnology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Leandro, California. The company applies protein engineering and genetic modification to domesticated Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce differentiated brewer's yeast strains with novel flavor, process-efficiency, and product-extension capabilities. Its product portfolio spans three series: Quality (FRESH ultra-low diacetyl strains and TAMED non-diastatic saison strains), Flavor (TROPICS thiol biotransformation strains, GALACTIC lactic-acid-producing strains, SUMMERSTONE stone fruit character strains, and SUPERBLOOM terpene-producing strains), and Non-Alcoholic (NA CABANA and NA CLASSIC maltose-negative strains), with an associated TROPICS BOOST purified thiol precursor additive that complements the TROPICS franchise.

The commercial model is bifurcated by customer scale. Small breweries producing under 5,000 BBL per year purchase yeast units directly through a Shopify e-commerce storefront at fixed pack pricing (e.g., $110 for DRY FRESH Chico 500g, $150 for DRY TROPICS London 500g) with tiered volume discounts of 10-20%. Breweries producing 5,000+ BBL annually are charged per-barrel licensing fees varying by strain — $0.50-$0.75/BBL for FRESH, $3/BBL for TROPICS/GALACTIC/SUPERBLOOM, $5/BBL for SUMMERSTONE, and $2/BBL for TAMED — under either Pay-as-You-Go quarterly invoicing or Prepay-and-Save annual contracts with a 10% discount and up to $2,500/quarter in yeast purchase credits. Distribution is exclusively direct, with no third-party resellers identified in the data, and free shipping is provided on dry yeast and 5+ BBL liquid pitches.

The company has raised approximately $12.15 million across disclosed funding events — NSF grants in 2017-2018 totaling approximately $1.675M, a $10.475M securities offering in May 2023 with Anterra Capital and Finistere Ventures, and a subsequent 2025 filing involving Collaborative Fund and Refactor — operates from a 9,000-square-foot purpose-built yeast research facility opened in 2025, and serves a predominantly craft brewery customer base with named mid-market accounts spanning Cloudburst, Alvarado Street, Outer Range, Green Cheek, Pinthouse, Riip, Coronado, Fort Point, and Deschutes, among others.

Name

Berkeley Yeast

Legal name

Berkeley Fermentation Science Inc.

Website

https://berkeleyyeast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berkeley Yeast is a biotechnology company that bioengineers proprietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for craft breweries. It sells dry and liquid yeast directly to small brewers and licenses strains per-barrel to larger producers, addressing flavor innovation, diacetyl control, and non-alcoholic brewing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineered Brewer's Yeast

akta.pro primary industry

Beverage Fermentation Cultures (Beer, Wine, Cider, Kombucha, Fermented Soft Drinks) (AFAJAJAC)

Keywords

• Engineered brewer's yeast
• Yeast strains for brewing
• Craft brewing biotechnology
• Non-alcoholic beer yeast
• Thiol biotransformation technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Yeast Product Sales: Berkeley Yeast sells yeast products directly to breweries through their e-commerce storefront. Products include dry yeast (DRY FRESH, DRY TROPICS) and liquid yeast pitches. Pricing varies by strain and volume, with tiered discounts for larger orders (10+ packs = 10% off, 20+ = 20% off).
2. Strain Licensing (Per Barrel): For breweries producing more than 5,000 BBL annually with Berkeley Yeast strains, the company charges per-barrel licensing fees. Rates vary by strain: FRESH strains $0.50-$0.75/BBL depending on volume tier; GALACTIC $3/BBL; SUMMERSTONE $5/BBL; SUPERBLOOM and TROPICS $3/BBL; TAMED $2/BBL. Customers can choose Pay as You Go (quarterly invoicing) or Prepay and Save (10% discount + credit toward future purchases).
3. Large Pitchables: For breweries wanting to avoid onsite propagation, Berkeley Yeast offers pitchable volumes with a technology license allowing brewers to use the pitch across multiple batches and generations (up to 5x the purchased barrelage). No discounts or credits apply to this model.
4. Securities Offering: The company raised approximately $10.475 million through a SEC Form D securities offering (May 2023), representing external capital investment rather than operational revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Berkeley Yeast develops, manufactures, and sells genetically engineered brewer's yeast strains that enhance fermentation for craft breweries and beverage manufacturers. The company's proprietary strains enable breweries to produce differentiated flavors (tropical, stone fruit, floral/citrus hops), reduce off-flavors (diacetyl), perform kettle-free souring, and produce authentic-tasting non-alcoholic beer without expensive dealcoholization. Products are sold directly to small breweries via e-commerce and licensed on a per-barrel basis to larger breweries (5,000+ BBL/year).

Product overview

Berkeley Yeast is a biotechnology company offering engineered brewer's yeast strains organized into three product series: Quality Series (FRESH™ strains for ultra-low diacetyl control; TAMED™ for non-diastatic saisons), Flavor Series (TROPICS™ for tropical thiols, GALACTIC™ for sour啤酒, SUMMERSTONE™ for stone fruit, SUPERBLOOM™ for floral/citrus hop character), and Non-Alcoholic Series (NA CABANA™ and NA CLASSIC™ for maltose-negative brewing). Products are sold as both dry yeast (DRY FRESH Chico, DRY TROPICS London) and liquid pitchable volumes. The TROPICS BOOST™ additive complements TROPICS strains. All products are based on domesticated Saccharomyces cerevisiae with precision-engineered traits for specific brewing outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DRY FRESH Chico Dry brewer's yeast strain engineered to produce ALDC enzyme inside the cell, preventing diacetyl formation and producing ultra-low diacetyl beer. Derived from the Chico Ale strain and suitable for clean fermentation in IPAs and lagers. Priced at $110 per 500g pack (with quantity discounts for 10+ and 20+ packs).
• FRESH™ Strains (Chico, London, Andechs) Quality series yeast strains engineered to keep diacetyl ultra-low through internal ALDC enzyme production. Includes Chico (house strain), London (hazy, full-bodied beer), and Andechs (lager strain). Eliminates need for diacetyl rests and forced testing. Available as liquid yeast pitches for direct online ordering.
• DRY TROPICS London Dry thiol-boosting yeast strain engineered to produce high levels of tropical thiols (guava, passionfruit, grapefruit) through biotransformation of barley-derived precursors. Built on the London Ale strain with optimized carbon-sulfur lyase enzyme. Priced at $150 per 500g pack with quantity discounts and ships next business day.
• TROPICS™ Strains (London, Vermont) Flavor series yeast strains engineered with high thiol biotransformation activity, delivering tropical fruit aromas reminiscent of southern-hemisphere hops without astringent burn. London variant offers hazy IPA character; Vermont variant is more attenuative for clear and hazy IPAs. Available as liquid yeast pitches.
• GALACTIC™ Sour beer yeast strain engineered to produce lactic acid during fermentation, enabling quick-souring in the fermentor without kettle-pasteurization. Dialed in for finishing pH of ~3.5 (TA 7-9), making sour beer production as cost-effective as normal beer brewing. Available as a liquid yeast strain.
• SUMMERSTONE™ Flavor series yeast strain engineered to provide complex and stable stone fruit flavor, especially reminiscent of peaches and apricots. Solves the challenge that stone fruit character is notoriously difficult to retain in beer, providing an elegant solution for imparting and retaining stone fruit character. Requires contact-sales engagement.
• SUPERBLOOM™ Flavor series yeast strain producing the primary flavor determinants of cascade hops, providing familiar floral and citrus notes of ultra-classic pale ales. Creates hop complexity without planty vegetative notes; produces bouquet of orange blossom, geranium, lime peel, and lemon zest. Available as a liquid yeast strain.
• TAMED™ (Saison) Quality series yeast strain engineered to be non-diastatic, enabling production of classic saison styles without the risk of excessive attenuation. Domesticated yeast with wild flavors from traditional saison strains. Requires contact-sales engagement for ordering.
• NA CABANA™ Non-alcoholic beer yeast strain engineered to be maltose and maltotriose negative, limiting alcohol production to ~15% of normal fermentation. Produces tropical hop character; designed for crafting authentically hop-tropical non-alcoholic IPAs with authentic beer flavor. Available as a liquid NA yeast strain.
• NA CLASSIC™ Non-alcoholic beer yeast strain engineered to be maltose and maltotriose negative, limiting alcohol production. Produces classic craft beer hop character without alcohol; designed to be highly versatile for complete beers or base layers for flavor-forward products. Available as a liquid NA yeast strain.
• Liquid Yeast Pitches (Pitchable Volumes) Liquid yeast products available in pitchable volumes for various strains including FRESH (Chico, London, Andechs), TROPICS (London, Vermont), NA (Cabana, Classic), and others. Priced by BBL and available for direct online ordering, with Large Pitchables allowing use across multiple batches and generations up to 5x the purchased barrelage.
• TROPICS BOOST™ Purified thiol precursor extract that amplifies tropical notes (guava, passionfruit, grapefruit) when used with TROPICS™ yeast strains. Works by increasing the substrate available for the engineered CSL enzyme to convert into free thiols. Available for use at 50 mL/BBL for subtle bump (~1.4X) or 200 mL/BBL for higher intensity.

Quantifiable outcome

• TROPICS strains produce 2-10 μg/L thiol levels vs. traditional yeast well below 100 ng/L threshold
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dr. Tom Shellhammer / Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerkeley Yeast collaborated with Dr. Tom Shellhammer at Oregon State University's brewing science lab to validate the sensory benefits of their precision-engineered thiol biotransformation technology. The collaboration produced peer-reviewed research published in MDPI Fermentation journal, providing third-party scientific validation of product claims that Tropics produces tropical character without off-flavors.
• Dr. Scott Lafontaine / University of ArkansascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Arkansas research team led by Dr. Scott Lafontaine and PhD student Andrew Maust conducted seminal peer-reviewed study (Maust et al., ACS Food Science & Technology 2025) comparing 11 commercial NA brewer's yeast strains. Berkeley Yeast strains were rated as producing NA beer that tastes more like actual beer, with significantly reduced wort character compared to undomesticated competitors.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationBerkeley Yeast's e-commerce storefront is powered by Shopify platform. The company uses Shopify for online sales, order management, customer accounts, and payment processing. Shopify's privacy policy and consumer privacy policy govern data processing for customer transactions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chr. Hansen: Chr. Hansen (now part of Novonesis) is a global bioscience company producing cultures, enzymes, and probiotics used in food, beverage, and dairy. Adjacent comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a microbial-ingredient supplier leveraging protein engineering and fermentation science at industrial scale.
• Fermentis (Lesaffre): Fermentis is Lesaffre's brewing-dedicated yeast and nutrition brand, supplying dry yeast strains used by craft and industrial breweries worldwide. Comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a brewer's yeast culture supplier, with established global distribution and a deep product catalog.
• Lallemand Brewing: Lallemand is one of the largest global suppliers of brewer's yeast cultures, selling dry and liquid yeast strains across craft, macro, and pro breweries. Comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a direct yeast strain provider serving craft brewers, though at much larger scale and broader distribution.
• Novonesis (formerly Novozymes): Novonesis is a global enzyme and microbial technology company serving brewing, food, and bioindustrial markets. Comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a fermentation-ingredient supplier applying protein engineering to brewing inputs, but at vastly greater scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Wyeast Laboratories: Wyeast Laboratories is a long-established supplier of liquid yeast cultures for craft and homebrewing, offering a deep catalog of strain-specific pitches. Comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a brewer's yeast culture vendor, though with a more traditional (non-engineered) strain portfolio.
• White Labs: White Labs supplies liquid brewer's yeast cultures, fermentation services, and analytical testing to craft breweries. Direct comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a craft-focused yeast culture supplier; both sell strain-specific pitches to brewers seeking differentiated fermentation outcomes.
• Imperial Organic Yeast: Imperial Organic Yeast (now part of BSG Craftbrewing) supplies organic brewer's yeast cultures to craft breweries, including recently developed 'Jury' experimental strains. Direct comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a craft yeast supplier with curated strain offerings.
• Omega Yeast Labs: Omega Yeast Labs is a craft-brewing-focused yeast supplier offering proprietary and hybrid strains (including the popular OYL series) via direct online sales. Closest direct competitor to Berkeley Yeast by go-to-market model (e-commerce to craft brewers) and product breadth.
• Escarpment Laboratories: Escarpment Laboratories is a Canadian craft-focused yeast supplier offering both banked and proprietary strains to breweries. Comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a smaller, craft-specialized yeast culture provider serving independent breweries in North America.

Emerging players

• AB Biotics: AB Biotics (part of AB Mauri) develops proprietary yeast and bacterial strains for baking and brewing applications using biotechnology. Comparable to Berkeley Yeast as a smaller biotechnology-driven yeast developer pursuing differentiated strain performance through engineered microbiology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berkeleyyeast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors5 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 Berkeley Yeast