Biobest

What Biobest does

Biobest is a Belgium-headquartered (Westerlo, founded 1987) provider of biological crop protection and pollination solutions, operating across 70 countries with over 2,000 employees and approximately €500M in annual turnover. Its core portfolio spans six categories: beneficial insects and mites, beneficial nematodes, bumblebee pollination hives, biopesticides, biostimulants, and high-tech integrated pest management (IPM) systems. The technology stack includes the Entomatic automated dispenser for timed release of beneficial organisms and the PATS-C camera trap system with AI-powered species identification for early pest detection. The company also offers the Biobest Side Effects mobile app (a pesticide-beneficial organism compatibility reference with multilingual support and quarterly updates) and the Biobest Academy online training platform.

The business model is primarily one-time sales of living organisms and biological products, augmented by hardware sales of automation and monitoring equipment. Pricing is quote-based and tailored through a technical advisory model, with multi-year contracts implied. Go-to-market combines direct sales through owned subsidiaries (targeting enterprise greenhouse growers) with an extensive distributor network reaching mid-market and SMB customers, plus a direct e-commerce webshop. The customer base spans commercial greenhouse operations, horticultural producers (berries, fruits, vegetables, flowers), medicinal cannabis cultivators, and organic farmers across 70 countries.

Recent strategic activity signals a scaling phase: a $391M growth equity raise in September 2023 from M&G Investments, Sofina, Sofiproteol, Tikehau Capital, and Unigrains coincided with the acquisition of Biotrop, a Latin American biological inputs player. The 2025 Plug In partnership with Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics extended Biobest's hardware ecosystem, integrating the Entomatic dispenser with a complementary spraying robot under a single control plane. The combination of biological know-how, a global cold-chain distribution footprint, digital advisory tools, and a growing automation product line positions Biobest as one of the largest scaled pure-play biological crop protection specialists globally.

Name

Biobest

Legal name

Biobest

Website

https://biobestgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Biobest, founded in 1987 in Westerlo, Belgium, develops and supplies biological crop protection and pollination systems — beneficial insects, mites, nematodes, bumblebees, biopesticides, and biostimulants — alongside high-tech IPM automation and monitoring tools. The company serves greenhouse growers, horticultural operations, and medicinal cannabis producers across 70 countries through direct subsidiaries and distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biological Crop Protection

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (325320), Apiculture (112910)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870), Agricultural Services (700), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Biological Pest Control (Beneficial Insects, Nematodes, Microbials) (AFABAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biostimulants & Plant Health Biologicals (Microbial/Non-microbial) (AFABAEAK), Microbial Biopesticides (Bacterial, Fungal, Viral) (AFABAEAA), Beneficial Insect & Predator Releases (Biocontrol) (HSAMALAC), Organic & Biological Input Retail (Biostimulants, Biopesticides, OMRI) (AFABAJAK)

Keywords

• Biological crop protection
• Bumblebee pollination services
• Integrated pest management
• Beneficial insects supply
• Biopesticide manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Westerlo

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Biological Control Products: Sale of beneficial insects, mites, and nematodes for integrated pest management in greenhouse and field crops
2. Pollination Services: Bumblebee pollination solutions for crops including fruits, vegetables, and medicinal cannabis
3. Biopesticides and Biostimulants: Sale of biological pesticides and plant biostimulants for sustainable crop protection and growth enhancement
4. High-Tech IPM Solutions: Automated dispensers, monitoring systems, and scouting technologies including Entomatic and PATS-C systems
5. Feeding Supplements and Supporting Products: Supplementary products supporting crop health and beneficial organism populations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Biobest develops, rears, and supplies biological crop care systems including beneficial insects, mites, and nematodes for natural pest control, bumblebee hives for crop pollination, biopesticides and biostimulants for crop protection and growth enhancement. The company complements these biological products with proprietary high-tech IPM tools—an automated Entomatic dispenser and AI-enabled PATS-C camera monitoring system—and delivers the offering with personalized technical advisory services across 70 countries.

Product overview

Biobest is a biological crop protection and pollination solutions provider operating a multi-product portfolio centered around a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio consists of six product categories: (1) Beneficial insects & mites, (2) Beneficial nematodes, (3) Bumblebee pollination, (4) Biopesticides, (5) Biostimulants, and (6) High-tech IPM. These are complemented by application technology (the Entomatic automated dispenser), monitoring and scouting tools (including the PATS-C camera trap system), feeding supplements, and supporting products. The Plug In was jointly developed with Bogaerts greenhouse logistics as a compatibility accessory enabling the Entomatic to integrate with Bogaerts' Qii-Jet TAV spraying robot. Biobest also operates two digital products: the Biobest Academy (online IPM training platform) and the Biobest Side Effects mobile app (pesticide compatibility reference guide for beneficial organisms). The company serves growers across 70 countries through subsidiaries and distributors, with over 2,000 employees and approximately 500 million EUR turnover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beneficial Insects & Mites Live beneficial insects and mites produced and supplied by Biobest for natural pest control in greenhouse and field crops, deployed as part of integrated pest management programs to protect crops from harmful pests.
• Beneficial Nematodes Beneficial nematode products used for soil-dwelling pest control in greenhouse and field crops, targeting soil pests through biological infestation.
• Bumblebee Pollination Hives Bumblebee hives and pollination products providing natural pollination for greenhouse and field crops including fruits, vegetables, kiwifruits, and medicinal cannabis, supporting fruit set and yield quality.
• Biopesticides Biological pesticide products derived from natural origins, used for targeted pest control as part of integrated crop protection programs in greenhouse and field crops.
• Biostimulants Biostimulant products designed to enhance plant growth, stress tolerance, and nutrient use efficiency in crops under protected and field cultivation.
• Entomatic Automated Dispenser Proprietary automated hardware system for precise, timed, and scalable distribution of beneficial insects and mites across growing areas, reducing manual labor and improving application consistency.
• PATS-C Camera Trap Monitoring System Proprietary camera-based automated pest monitoring system with AI-powered species identification, placed in traps to detect and track flying insects and provide real-time data enabling growers to anticipate pest presence weeks in advance.
• Feeding Supplements Nutritional feeding supplement products supporting the health, longevity, and effectiveness of beneficial insects and mites deployed in crop protection programs.
• Biobest Side Effects App Multilingual mobile application providing comprehensive information on the side effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms, with powerful search functionality, easy sharing capabilities, and dynamic updates every 3-4 months. Available for Android and iOS.
• Plug In (Entomatic–Qii-Jet TAV Integration Accessory) Integration accessory jointly developed by Biobest and Bogaerts greenhouse logistics, providing electrical and mechanical modifications that enable Biobest's Entomatic automated dispenser and Bogaerts' Qii-Jet TAV spraying robot to operate from a single control panel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduction in pesticide residues in produce
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bogaerts Greenhouse LogisticscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2025Biobest and Bogaerts greenhouse logistics jointly launched the Plug In, a new product enabling seamless integration between Biobest's Entomatic automated dispenser and Bogaerts' Qii-Jet TAV spraying robot. The Plug In includes electrical and mechanical modifications, allowing growers to operate both systems from a single control panel, saving time and improving application accuracy. The companies have stated they will continue collaborating to develop further solutions that simplify operational management and support sustainable horticulture.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Certis Biologicals: Certis Biologicals is a US-focused manufacturer of biopesticides and biological crop protection products serving row crop and specialty crop growers, overlapping significantly with Biobest's biopesticide portfolio and channel.
• Koppert: Koppert is the most direct global peer to Biobest: a Dutch-based biological crop protection and pollination company offering beneficial insects, bumblebees, and IPM solutions to greenhouse and horticulture growers worldwide with comparable scale and product breadth.
• BioWorks: BioWorks is a North American biologicals company offering biopesticides, biofungicides, and beneficial microorganisms to greenhouse and specialty crop growers, competing in the same IPM ecosystem with similar product positioning.
• Andermatt Group: Andermatt Group is a Swiss-headquartered producer of biological crop protection products including biopesticides, beneficial insects, and biostimulants, with international distribution and a similar integrated IPM portfolio approach.
• BioBee Sde Eliyahu: BioBee is an Israeli producer of beneficial insects, mites, and bumblebees for biological pest control and pollination in greenhouses and open-field crops, serving a comparable customer base of horticultural and field growers globally.

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Crop Science: Bayer Crop Science is the world's largest crop protection company and has invested in biocontrol and biopesticide platforms through partnerships and acquisitions, representing a significant competitive threat to Biobest at the integrated solutions level.
• Syngenta Group: Syngenta is a global agrochemical incumbent with an expanding biologicals business (acquired Valagro and others), competing with Biobest in biostimulants and biopesticides across the same global customer base.
• BASF Agricultural Solutions: BASF is a global agrochemical incumbent that has built a biocontrol and biopesticide portfolio through acquisitions, offering overlapping solutions to the same grower base as part of a much broader crop protection portfolio.

Emerging players

• Vestaron: Vestaron is a US-based emerging biologicals company developing peptide-based biopesticides for specialty and row crops, competing in the biopesticide segment with Biobest and representing the next generation of biological chemistry.
• AgBiome: AgBiome is a US emerging biologicals company developing microbial crop protection products with a discovery platform focused on agricultural microbiomes, targeting similar greenhouse and specialty crop markets as Biobest.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Biobest_Group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biobest-n-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

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

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Biobest