Calibre Control International

What Calibre Control International does

Calibre Control International Ltd. is a UK-based, privately held specialist distributor of food testing equipment, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Warrington, England. The company supplies on-farm and laboratory instrumentation to the food and beverage industry, serving grain and cereal processors, dairy farmers and processors, bakery and flour millers, meat processors, feed and pet food manufacturers, the seed industry, snack food and confectionery producers, semi-solids testing, surface hygiene, and — more recently — brewers. Its go-to-market is consultative direct sales (telephone, contact form, email) supplemented by a self-serve e-commerce cart for consumables and entry-level products, targeting a mix of enterprise customers and SMBs.

The core technology platform comprises near-infrared (NIR) diode array analysers, lateral flow immunoassay mycotoxin test strips and automated readers, chemiluminescence-based alkaline phosphatase pasteurisation tests, and ATP bioluminescence hygiene monitoring. Calibre distributes internationally recognised brands rather than developing instruments itself: the Perten Instruments portfolio (DA 7250, DA 7350 In-Line, DA 7440, IM 8800, doughLAB, LabMill 3100) from PerkinElmer; the Charm Sciences range (EZ-M Mycotoxin Reader, mycotoxin strips, PasLite, novaLUM, PocketSwab); and Verum Analytics' IsoChem for beer applications. The proprietary C-Cell baking quality analyser is operated as a sub-brand under a separate domain, and JobLogic is offered for equipment service management. Methods are aligned to international standards including ISO 12099 (NIR dairy), ISO 22160 / IDF 209 (pasteurisation), and the company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Revenue is generated through two streams: one-time equipment sales (NIR analysers, readers, mills) and ongoing consumables and reagents (test strips, calibration materials, hygiene tests) tied to the installed base, producing a partial recurring revenue layer. Pricing for major analysers is quote-based, while consumables begin at £1.00 for entry-level test strips. The company emphasises knowledgeable customer support and the ability to serve both smaller businesses and "some of the world's largest companies," and is registered in England (No. 2338162) with VAT number 527525638.

Name

Calibre Control International

Legal name

Calibre Control International Ltd.

Website

https://calibrecontrol.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Calibre Control International is a UK-based specialist distributor of food testing equipment, founded in 1989, supplying NIR analysers, mycotoxin and pasteurisation test systems, and consumables to grain, dairy, bakery, meat, feed, seed, and brewing sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Testing Equipment

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Mycotoxin Testing & Screening (Aflatoxin, DON, OTA, etc.) (AFAOAJAB), Regulatory Compliance Testing (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALADAA)

Keywords

• Food testing equipment
• NIR analysers
• Mycotoxin detection
• Dairy quality testing
• Grain composition analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food Testing Equipment Sales: Sale of food and beverage testing equipment including NIR analysers, mycotoxin test strips, antibiotic detection kits, pasteurisation tests, and related accessories. One-time purchase model with equipment prices ranging from £1.00 for basic test strips to higher values for analysers (quoted on request).
2. Testing Consumables and Reagents: Ongoing sales of consumables including test strips, reagents, and calibration materials required for their testing equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Calibre Control International distributes and sells a comprehensive range of food and beverage testing equipment, reagents, and consumables, including Perten NIR analysers, Charm Sciences mycotoxin readers and pasteurisation tests, laboratory mills, and the C-Cell baking quality analyser. The products enable food manufacturers, processors, dairy farmers, grain handlers, and laboratories to perform mycotoxin detection, compositional analysis, antibiotic residue testing, pasteurisation verification, and hygiene monitoring across the farm-to-finished-product supply chain. The offering is supported by knowledgeable customer service, technical training resources, and the JobLogic equipment-servicing management system.

Product overview

Calibre Control International offers a comprehensive portfolio of food testing equipment and solutions spanning the entire food production chain, from farm to finished product. The core product lines include NIR (Near Infrared) analysers from Perten Instruments (DA 7250, DA 7350 In-Line) for rapid composition testing of grains, dairy, and processed foods; Charm Sciences testing systems for mycotoxin detection (EZ-M Reader, test strips) and pasteurisation verification (PasLite); and laboratory equipment including the Perten LabMill for sample preparation. The company also offers the C-Cell baking quality analyser and JobLogic service management system. Testing capabilities cover dairy, cereals/grains, flour, barley, dough, baked goods, confectionery, snack foods, meat, feed/pet food, seeds, and surfaces across both on-farm and laboratory environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charm EZ-M Mycotoxin Reader Automated mycotoxin testing instrument that reads Charm lateral flow test strips, automatically incubates samples, and delivers rapid quantitative results for mycotoxins (Aflatoxin, DON, Ochratoxin, T-2/HT-2, Zearalenone) in cereal grains, barley and other commodities. Targets food testing laboratories and grain processors needing regulatory-compliant mycotoxin analysis.
• Charm Mycotoxin Test Strips Rapid lateral flow test strips used with the Charm EZ-M Reader to detect multiple mycotoxins in cereal grains. Consumable product targeted at laboratories and grain testing operations.
• Perten DA 7250 NIR Analyser Near-infrared analyser providing rapid (six-second) compositional analysis for moisture, protein, fat, oil, starch, fibre, amino acids and sugars in grains, flour, oilseed rape, powders, pellets, slurries and liquids; ISO 12099 compliant. Used by food processors, grain handlers and laboratories.
• Perten DA 7350 In-Line NIR Analyser In-line NIR analyser providing real-time continuous testing for flour milling, corn/starch production, oilseed processing and dairy operations; built-in camera enables colour measurements and image analysis alongside compositional data. Targets industrial food processors.
• Charm PasLite Pasteurisation Test Rapid pasteurisation verification test that detects alkaline phosphatase in milk and dairy products in under four minutes. Internationally approved method compliant with ISO 22160 and IDF 209, applicable to milk, flavoured milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, yoghurt and ice-cream. Targets dairy processors and laboratories.
• Perten LabMill 3100 Laboratory mill designed for analytical sample preparation in mycotoxin analysis, providing consistent particle size, improved reproducibility and reduced cross-contamination risk compared with household grinders. Sold to food testing laboratories and grain testing operations.
• C-Cell Baking Quality Analyser Baking quality analyser for evaluating baked goods, distributed via a dedicated sub-brand domain (bakingqualityanalyser.com). Sold to bakeries and baked-goods quality operations as a dedicated sub-brand offering.
• JobLogic Service Management System Service and support management system for organising equipment servicing, support requests and maintenance activities for Calibre Control's installed base of food testing equipment. Targeted at the company's own service operations and customers needing equipment servicing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid testing capability: results in 6 seconds with Perten DA 7250 NIR analyser
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Charm SciencescoreTechnology or IntegrationCalibre Control distributes Charm Sciences testing products including the EZ-M Mycotoxin Reader, mycotoxin test strips, PasLite pasteurisation test, novaLUM analyser, and PocketSwab ATP tests. Charm Sciences is described as an industry-approved brand for DON testing across wheat, barley, and oats.
• Perten Instruments (PerkinElmer)coreTechnology or IntegrationCalibre Control distributes Perten NIR analysers including the DA 7250, DA 7350, DA 7440, IM 8800 grain analyser, and doughLAB. Perten is a leading manufacturer of near-infrared instruments for food and grain analysis.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PerkinElmer: PerkinElmer is the parent company of Perten Instruments, one of Calibre Control's primary technology partners. As a global analytical instrument and life sciences company with food safety testing capabilities, PerkinElmer both supplies Calibre's portfolio and competes broadly in the food testing equipment market — making it a dual supplier/competitor relationship.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global leader in scientific instruments and food safety testing equipment, offering NIR, chromatography, and immunoassay solutions that overlap with Calibre's Perten and Charm portfolio. As a broad incumbent with much larger scale, it competes for the same enterprise food testing budgets.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad Laboratories provides a broad range of life science and food safety testing products including immunoassays and quality control reagents that overlap with Calibre's food testing equipment portfolio. As an established scientific instrument company, it serves similar food industry customers.
• Bruker Corporation: Bruker manufactures analytical instruments including NIR and FT-NIR spectrometers used in food and agricultural testing, overlapping with Perten's NIR analyser portfolio distributed by Calibre. As a global instrument manufacturer, it competes for the same composition analysis budgets.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: Mérieux NutriSciences is a global food testing and services company operating analytical laboratories that serve food manufacturers — competing with both Calibre's equipment distribution and the broader food testing value chain. Its service-based model overlaps with where Calibre's equipment customers operate.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins Scientific is one of the world's largest food testing laboratory networks, providing microbiological, chemical, and allergen testing services to food companies. While Calibre sells equipment and Eurofins runs labs, both target the same food industry quality and safety budgets and increasingly compete for the same customer wallet.
• SGS SA: SGS is a global testing, inspection, and certification company with extensive food testing laboratory operations. While primarily a service provider rather than equipment distributor, SGS competes for the same food industry quality assurance budgets and represents a potential in-house testing alternative to Calibre's equipment customers.

Direct peers

• Charm Sciences: Charm Sciences manufactures the EZ-M Mycotoxin Reader, PasLite pasteurisation test, and other lateral flow/chemiluminescence systems that Calibre distributes in the UK. As a direct technology partner and manufacturer in the same food testing equipment category, Charm is Calibre's closest product-aligned counterpart — and could compete directly if it shifts to direct UK distribution.
• Neogen Corporation: Neogen Corporation develops and markets food safety testing products including mycotoxin tests, pathogen detection, and sanitation diagnostics — overlapping directly with Calibre's Charm Sciences portfolio. As a specialist food safety testing equipment company, it competes for the same food industry testing equipment budgets.
• R-Biopharm: R-Biopharm is a specialist in food and feed safety diagnostics, including mycotoxin testing kits and lateral flow assays that directly overlap with Calibre's Charm Sciences mycotoxin testing portfolio. As a niche specialist focused on the same food testing use cases, it competes for similar UK and European food industry customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Calibre Control International