What Charm Sciences, Inc. does

Charm Sciences, Inc. is a privately held, founder-built food safety, water quality and environmental diagnostics company founded in 1978 by Dr. Charm and Shirley Charm, headquartered in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The company develops, manufactures and sells rapid diagnostic test kits, purpose-built readers/incubators/luminometers, and data analytics software for detecting antibiotics, mycotoxins, allergens, pesticides, phosphatase (pasteurization verification), pathogens, and sanitation levels across dairy, feed and grain, food and beverage, hospitality, water, and on-farm end markets. Its core technologies are ROSA (Rapid One Step Assay) lateral flow immunoassays, ATP bioluminescence detection (PocketSwab, FieldSwab, WaterGiene, novaLUM II-X), microbial inhibition and selective medium tests (Peel Plate, E*Colite, Fast Phage, CowSide II, KIS), and the CideLite bioluminescent pesticide assay. Charm is highly vertically integrated, producing all reagents, equipment and software/firmware at three Massachusetts facilities, and holds an unusually dense stack of regulatory approvals (FDA, USDA, USDA-FGIS, EPA, AOAC OMA and PTM, NCIMS, ISO 9001:2015, ILVO, MicroVal).

Charm operates a sales-led go-to-market combining a direct enterprise sales force with a global distributor network and named regional representatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, reaching 90-100+ countries. Revenue is generated through one-time consumable sales (lateral flow and microbial test kits), hardware sales (luminometers, monitoring systems, incubators, the AI-enabled Peel Plate IntelliCount), software/data analytics (eBacMap), and professional services (training, technical support, customization). The company claims over 75% of the global raw milk supply is tested with Charm products, with customers including governments, regulatory bodies, large food manufacturers (including a Fortune 100 cheese producer), water municipalities, and AAA-inspected hotels. The most recent strategic emphasis has been on adjacent product launches in software analytics, portable mycotoxin testing, and AI-enabled colony counting, alongside ongoing regulatory certification work.

Name

Charm Sciences, Inc.

Legal name

Charm Sciences, Inc.

Website

https://charm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Charm Sciences develops and manufactures rapid diagnostic test kits, readers, and software for food safety, water quality, and sanitation across dairy, grain, food and beverage, hospitality, water, and on-farm markets worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Safety Diagnostics

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Feed & Nutraceutical Analytical Testing (HLAGADAN)

Keywords

• Food safety testing
• Rapid diagnostic tests
• Antibiotic residue testing
• Mycotoxin testing
• ATP sanitation monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Diagnostic Test Kits: Sale of rapid diagnostic test kits for antibiotics, mycotoxins, allergens, pesticides, ATP, and microbial detection. Includes ROSA lateral flow tests, inhibition tests, and ATP swabs.
2. Diagnostic Equipment: Sale of diagnostic equipment including luminometers (novaLUM II-X, EPIC), monitoring systems (Charm II, Charm EZ-M, Charm EZ Protect+), incubators, and Peel Plate IntelliCount system.
3. Software and Data Analytics: Sale of data analytics software including eBacMap for environmental monitoring and trending.
4. Technical Support and Training Services: Onsite customer training, technical support, after-sales support, and product customization services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Charm Sciences develops, manufactures, and sells rapid diagnostic test kits, dedicated monitoring equipment, and data analytics software for detecting antibiotics, mycotoxins, pathogens, allergens, pesticides, phosphatase, and sanitation/hygiene (ATP) in dairy, food and beverage, feed and grain, water, hospitality, and on-farm applications. The company also provides fee-based analytical laboratory testing services through its in-house laboratory in Lawrence, MA.

Product overview

Charm Sciences, Inc. offers a comprehensive portfolio of rapid food safety diagnostic tests, monitoring equipment, and data analytics software. The portfolio spans test kits (Allergen, Antibiotic, ATP, Microbial Detection, Mycotoxin, Pesticide, Phosphatase, Ractopamine, Rapid Microbial ATP) paired with purpose-built equipment (Monitoring Systems like Charm II, Charm EZ-M, Charm EZ Protect+; Luminometers like novaLUM II-X, EPIC; Incubators; Peel Plate IntelliCount) and software (eBacMap for environmental monitoring data). Products are sold directly and through distributors globally, serving dairy, feed and grain, food and beverage, hospitality, water, and on-the-farm industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ROSA AFQ-WETS5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Test (Water Extraction Test) Rapid 5-minute lateral flow quantitative aflatoxin test for grain and feed, using water extraction and designed for use with the Charm EZ-M reader; USDA-FGIS/NRC approved.
• ROSA AFQ-FAST Aflatoxin Quantitative Test Rapid organic-solvent-based quantitative aflatoxin lateral flow test for grain commodities, designed for use with the Charm EZ-M reader; USDA-FGIS/NRC approved.
• ROSA Lateral Flow Mycotoxin Tests (range: Aflatoxin, DON/Vomitoxin, Zearalenone, T-2/HT-2, Ochratoxin, Fumonisin) Rapid quantitative lateral flow test kits for multiple mycotoxin analytes across grains and feed, used with the Charm EZ-M or Charm EZ Protect+ readers.
• Antibiotic Tests (ROSA Lateral Flow Tests and CowSide II) Rapid test kits for detecting beta-lactams, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and other antibiotic residues in raw and finished milk, including the on-farm CowSide II pre-screening assay.
• ATP Tests (PocketSwab Plus, FieldSwab) Single-use ATP bioluminescence swab tests used with the novaLUM luminometer to validate cleaning and sanitation in food and hospitality environments.
• CertaBlue Rapid Microbial ATP Detection System Rapid microbial ATP detection system (innovation-era Charm product line) that signals presence/absence of microbial contamination.
• Charm EZ Protect+ System Quantitative reader and incubate-and-read workflow for ROSA lateral flow mycotoxin and antibiotic tests, providing next-generation reader capabilities.
• Charm EZ-M System Dedicated quantitative reader used to run ROSA mycotoxin and antibiotic lateral flow tests for grain, feed, and dairy applications.
• Charm II System Multi-test luminometer platform for running Charm's antibiotic residue and pathogen detection assays in dairy and food laboratories.
• novaLUM II-X System Second-generation ATP luminometer featuring Ensured Bioburden Detection for ATP-based sanitation and hygiene monitoring in hospitality, food and water applications.
• EPIC Microbial ATP System Microbial ATP detection system designed for rapid microbial screening across food, dairy, water, and environmental testing workflows.
• Peel Plate IntelliCount System Automated plate reader using computer vision for colony counting on Peel Plate microbial plates.
• Peel Plate Microbial Tests Ready-to-use dried-culture-plate microbial detection tests for aerobic count, coliform, E. coli, yeast/mold, Staphylococcus aureus (Peel Plate SA), Enterobacteriaceae (Peel Plate EB), and Listeria.
• Charm Myco Case Portable laboratory for mycotoxin testing, weighing less than 1.4 lbs and containing supplies and equipment needed to perform an aflatoxin test from sample preparation to results.
• Digital Dry Block Incubator Incubator designed to support Charm's microbial detection assays, accompanying the ROSA test workflow.
• ROSA Incubators Programmable incubators designed to support ROSA lateral flow test workflows.
• ROSA TRIO 2400 Three-position incubator / reader for running ROSA test strips at scale in grain and dairy laboratories.
• Microbial Detection Tests (E*Colite, PathoGel) Rapid assays for E. coli/coliform detection (E*Colite) and pathogen/host indicator confirmation (PathoGel) used in food and environmental matrices.
• Fast Phage Test Rapid coliphage detection assay used for source and finished water monitoring.
• CideLite Pesticide Test Rapid pesticide residue test kit for detecting pesticide presence on produce and food samples.
• Phosphatase Tests (F-AP, PasLite) Rapid pasteurization verification assays for milk, confirming proper heat treatment of dairy products.
• Allergen Tests Rapid lateral flow allergen detection kits for verifying cleaning and detecting allergen presence in food and beverage processing environments.
• Kidney Inhibition Swab (KIS) Swab-based antibiotic residue test used for on-site screening in dairy and farm applications.
• WaterGiene ATP Test ATP-based test swabs targeted at water system sanitation verification for municipal and industrial water utilities.
• eBacMap Software Cloud-based data analytics software by Charm Sciences for collecting, analyzing, and managing diagnostic test and sanitation monitoring data.
• Analytical Laboratory Testing Services Fee-based analytical laboratory testing services operated by Charm Sciences in Lawrence, MA, accredited under ISO 17025, providing PFAC, AOAC, FGIS, FDA, and EPA testing methods.
• Charm/Zymo DNA/RNA Swab Tube Sample-collection tube (developed with Zymo Research) for collecting swabs that are stable for downstream DNA/RNA analyses such as pathogen confirmation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75% of global raw milk supply tested with Charm products
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• eBacMapcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharm Sciences collaborated with eBacMap to develop eBacMap data mapping and trending software that digitally associates ATP sanitation verification and microbial indicators, revolutionizing sanitation management in food facilities.
• AAA (American Automobile Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCharm Sciences collaborated with AAA to verify sanitation standards in the hospitality industry. AAA inspectors use Charm's ATP monitoring system during Diamond-level inspections, and Charm has trained and certified AAA inspectors for ATP surface testing.
• Zymo ResearchnotableTechnology or IntegrationCharm/Zymo DNA/RNA Swab Tube partnership - Charm's sampling swabs have launched on SpaceX Crew missions (7th flight into space) for NASA Johnson Space Center research on diet and gut health in space.
• NASA Johnson Space CenternotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA uses Charm's DNA/RNA swab tubes (provided through Zymo partnership) for researching diet and gut health in space aboard SpaceX Crew missions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/charmsciences
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDQUr4o8pZqi8EqfKpvx1Mw
• Facebookfacebook.com/charmsciencesinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charm-sciences-inc

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Charm Sciences, Inc.