Pel-Freez

What Pel-Freez does

Pel-Freez Biologicals is a Rogers, Arkansas-based manufacturer of human and animal-derived biological reagents founded in 1911 as a rabbit farm and operating today under Pel-Freez, LLC. The company produces complement proteins, sera, plasma, tissues, and antibodies from multiple species (rabbit, bovine, guinea pig, pig, goat, horse, chicken, and human), targeting pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers in vaccine development, in vitro diagnostics, biopharma manufacturing, and academic research. Core proprietary capabilities include an antibody depletion process removing >97% of IgG and IgM while preserving complement functionality, affinity chromatography for human immunoglobulins, and lyophilization of biological reagents, all produced in ISO 9001-certified facilities under USDA APHIS and FACT/A animal welfare certifications.

The business operates a sales-led, B2B model with three revenue streams: catalog reagent sales priced by unit ($7-$4,400 per unit depending on volume and format), custom services (immunodepletion, antibody/antiserum production, CH50 testing), and bulk/contract orders with quantity discounts and Net 14 payment terms. Distribution combines direct e-commerce through pel-freez.com, a global distributor network, and a direct sales team serving enterprise accounts. Named enterprise customers include Pfizer Vaccine R&D, Immune Diagnostics, OMVax, and Nexelis, with cited relationship tenures exceeding a decade.

Pel-Freez was acquired on March 31, 2020 by a private investment partnership led by Dr. Brian Bonk, who serves as President and CEO. Under new ownership the company is expanding its catalog (including a 2025 launch of lyophilized human complement products), extending custom services, and investing in global conference presence (MEDICA, IPNC, World Vaccine Congress). The firm employs 11-50 people and is privately held, with no publicly disclosed revenue.

Name

Pel-Freez

Legal name

Pel-Freez, LLC

Website

https://pel-freez.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pel-Freez Biologicals is a 1911-founded Rogers, Arkansas manufacturer of human and animal-derived complement, serum, plasma, tissues, and antibody reagents serving vaccine developers, IVD manufacturers, biopharma firms, and academic researchers via catalog sales, custom services, and global distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Reagents

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Plasma-Derived Therapeutics (immunoglobulins, albumin, clotting factors) (HLAAAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Immunoglobulins & Passive Immunization Biologics (IVIG, hyperimmune globulins, antitoxins) (HLAAAEAH)

Keywords

• Biological reagents
• Complement proteins
• Vaccine development reagents
• Antibody-depleted serum
• In vitro diagnostics reagents

Headquarters

HQ city

Rogers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Biological Reagent Sales: One-time product sales of human and animal biologicals including complement, serum, plasma, tissues, and antibodies. Products are sold in various unit sizes with prices ranging from approximately $7 to $4,400 depending on product type and volume.
2. Custom Services: Custom biological product manufacturing including Custom Immunodepletion Services, Custom Antibody & Antiserum Production, and Complement (CH50) Testing Service. These services support specific customer requirements beyond standard catalog products.
3. Bulk and Contract Orders: Quantity discounts available for bulk orders or annual contracts. Minimum order values apply: $100 domestic, $250 international.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pel-Freez manufactures and supplies human and animal-derived biological reagents—including complement proteins, antibody-depleted sera, plasma, tissues, and immunoglobulins—for vaccine development, in vitro diagnostic manufacturing, and academic research. The company operates an ISO 9001-certified production facility and offers custom services such as immunodepletion, custom antibody/antiserum production, and CH50 complement testing.

Product overview

Pel-Freez Biologicals is a life science reagents company offering a comprehensive portfolio of human and animal-derived biological products for vaccine development, in vitro diagnostics, and academic research. The core product lines include: human biological products (complement, serum, plasma, and immunoglobulins); animal biological products (serum, plasma, tissues, and proteins from various species including rabbit, bovine, chicken, pig, goat, horse, and guinea pig); complement products (baby rabbit, adult rabbit, guinea pig, and human complement in various depletion formats); and neuroscience antibodies. The company also provides custom services including immunodepletion, antibody production, and complement testing. Products are manufactured in ISO 9001-certified facilities with standardized processes to ensure consistency and quality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IgG/IgM Depleted Pooled Human Complement Pooled human serum depleted of IgG and IgM antibodies via proprietary process, 0.2 micron filtered, aliquoted and frozen. Used by vaccine developers and immunology researchers for complement-dependent assays, immunogenicity testing, and serum bactericidal assays.
• IgG/IgM Depleted Single Donor Human Complement Single donor human serum depleted of IgG and IgM antibodies, 0.2 micron filtered, aliquoted and frozen. Used for vaccine development and immunological studies requiring donor-specific sourcing.
• Baby Rabbit Complement Complement collected from young rabbits 3-4 weeks of age with low heterophile antibody activity. Used for opsonophagocytic killing assays (OPKA), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assays, and serum bactericidal assays (SBA) in vaccine research.
• Adult Rabbit Complement Complement collected from 8-12 week old rabbits, stored at -70°C. Available in adsorbed and unadsorbed formats for immunology research and assay development.
• Guinea Pig Complement Ethically-sourced guinea pig complement with high hemolytic complement titer (CH50). Preservative-free and manufactured under ISO 9001 quality management.
• Rabbit Gamma Globulin (Rabbit IgG) Lyophilized rabbit IgG with >95% purity, available in bulk quantities. Used as a reference standard, control, or reagent in immunology and immunoassay workflows.
• Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) USDA-approved-origin fetal bovine serum, sterile-filtered, used as a vital component of most cell culture media for research and bioprocessing applications.
• Universal Human Male AB Serum Plasma-derived human AB serum from male donors, negative for HLA Class I and II antibodies. Used as a universal serum standard in cell culture, immunology, and assay development.
• Affinity Purified Human IgG Affinity purified human IgG produced via proprietary affinity chromatography. Used as a standard, control, or blocker for sensitive binding assays.
• Neuroscience Antibodies Affinity purified rabbit polyclonal antibodies for neuroscience research, including NMDA receptor subunits, GABA receptors, dopamine transporter, and other neural markers. Targeted at academic and translational neuroscience laboratories.
• Human Complement Depleted Pooled Kit Matched kit containing normal human serum and antibody-depleted serum samples for vaccine development, immunology research, and assay validation workflows.
• Lyophilized Human Complement Freeze-dried (lyophilized) human complement in pooled and single donor configurations with native and antibody-depleted options. Provides extended shelf life, improved stability, and easier storage and handling versus frozen complement formats.
• Custom Immunodepletion Services Custom service applying Pel-Freez's proprietary antibody depletion process to remove interfering immunoglobulin classes from customer-supplied human serum for assay development and research.
• Custom Antibody & Antiserum Production Contract manufacturing service for custom polyclonal antibodies and antisera, supporting specific research and diagnostic reagent needs beyond the standard catalog offering.
• Complement (CH50) Testing Service Service-based assay that evaluates complement activity (CH50 hemolytic titer) in customer-supplied serum samples for research, quality control, and clinical studies.
• Animal Serum Portfolio Catalog of animal-derived sera across species including rabbit, chicken, adult bovine, pig, goat, horse, and fetal bovine, used in cell culture, immunology, and research applications.
• Animal Plasma Portfolio Catalog of animal-derived plasma products across species including rabbit, chicken, bovine, and pig, supplied for research, assay development, and diagnostic applications.
• Animal Whole Blood and Red Blood Cells Whole blood and red blood cell preparations from pig, rabbit, chicken, and bovine for research, diagnostic manufacturing, and educational use.
• Animal Organs, Glands, and Tissues Whole organs and tissues harvested from animal sources, including brain, eyes, glands, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, and other tissues, supplied for research and diagnostic applications.
• Rabbit Brain Acetone Powder Varisens Rabbit brain acetone powder preparation used for coagulation assays and reagent preparation in diagnostic and research laboratories.
• Bovine Cholesterol Concentrate Bovine-derived cholesterol concentrate used in research on membrane dynamics, nutrient transport, and lipid-based cell behavior.
• IgG/IgM/IgA Depleted Pooled Human Complement Pooled human serum depleted of IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies, 0.2 micron filtered, aliquoted and frozen, for use in complement-based assays where broader immunoglobulin removal is required.
• Rabbit Brain Cephalin Cholesterol-free rabbit brain acetone powder extracted with chloroform, used in coagulation reagent preparation and testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Removes >97% of background IgG and IgM antibodies while preserving complement functionality
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Established life-science research and clinical diagnostics manufacturer with overlapping offerings in biological reagents, sera, complement, and immunology tools — competes with Pel-Freez in catalog reagent sales to pharma and academic customers.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest life-science tools supplier, including Gibco-brand sera and complement products that overlap directly with Pel-Freez's animal biological portfolio, while also bundling broader workflow capabilities.
• Lonza Group: Global cell and gene therapy / biological products manufacturer with a sizable sera and cell-culture media portfolio that overlaps with Pel-Freez's animal biological offerings.
• Millipore Sigma (Merck KGaA): Major catalog reagent supplier offering fetal bovine serum, complement, immunoglobulins, and animal biologicals that directly compete with Pel-Freez's core catalog items.
• Cytiva (Danaher): Bioprocessing and life-science research supplier providing sera, supplements, and complementary biological reagents used in vaccine development workflows similar to Pel-Freez customers.

Direct peers

• Valley Biomedical: Specialty supplier of human and animal biological products including sera, plasma, and complement reagents, directly overlapping with Pel-Freez's catalog and customer base.
• Rockland Immunochemicals: Manufacturer of antibodies and immunological reagents including custom antibody production services, overlapping with Pel-Freez's antibody and custom service offerings.
• Innovative Research: Specialty U.S. supplier of human and animal biological products including sera, plasma, and tissues — directly comparable niche peer serving similar research and diagnostic customers.
• SeraCare (LGC Clinical Diagnostics): Provider of biological reference materials, controls, and serum-based reagents used in IVD and vaccine development — comparable niche peer serving overlapping diagnostic and biopharma customers.
• Access Biologicals: Specialty manufacturer of human serum, plasma, and cell culture products with a comparable focus on diagnostic and biopharma reagent customers, including IVD manufacturers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PelFreezBio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pelfreezbio

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Pel-Freez