CITRIBEL

What CITRIBEL does

Citribel NV is a privately held Belgian fermentation manufacturer headquartered in Tienen, with approximately 350 employees operating a single large-scale production site that includes 184 fermentation chambers. The company is among the top three global producers of citric acid and also manufactures citrate salts (trisodium citrate, monosodium citrate) and mycelium-derived specialty ingredients marketed under the MycaNova (biomaterials), MycoFence (animal feed beta-glucan) and MycoGlucan (pet immune-support beta-glucan) sub-brands. Core production uses natural surface fermentation on upcycled sugar molasses feedstocks, yielding a circular, lower-carbon process profile and a broad certification stack (ISO 9001/14001/22000, FSSC 22000, GMP+, Halal, Kosher, Ecovadis, SDG Pioneer).

The business sells on a B2B, quote-based industrial pricing model to customers across at least eight verticals: food, beverages, pharma, nutraceuticals, personal care, home care, animal nutrition and industrial chemicals. Pricing is contract-driven rather than transactional, and revenue mechanics rely on long-cycle, qualified-supplier relationships in regulated end-markets rather than on consumer brand demand. Citribel has been privately held since 2016, when it was acquired by Belgian private investors, and in 2022 rebranded from La Citrique Belge to Citribel to reflect the broadened fermentation platform.

The mycelium ingredient portfolio, launched sequentially from 2023 onward, represents a deliberate pivot from commodity citric acid toward higher-margin specialty bioproducts, while the legacy citric acid and citrate business provides the operating cash base. Leadership includes Joris as CEO, Johan Volckaerts as Managing Director, Emmanuel Raskin as Director SHE&Q, Franky Vandermeulen as HR Manager, and Ruben Ghillebert as Process Improvement and Innovation Manager, indicating functional depth in safety, quality, and continuous process optimization.

Name

CITRIBEL

Legal name

Citribel NV

Website

https://citribel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Citribel is a Belgian manufacturer of citric acid, citrates, and mycelium-based ingredients (MycaNova, MycoFence, MycoGlucan), serving food, pharma, nutraceutical, personal care, animal nutrition and industrial customers via B2B industrial supply from its Tienen production site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Citric Acid & Citrate Manufacturing

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Citric Acid & Citrates (Sodium/Potassium/Calcium Citrate) (AFAJAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Molasses & Treacle (Cane/Beet Molasses, Treacle) (AFAJAAAM), Fermentation Substrates & Sugars (Molasses, Glucose Syrups, Lactose, Malt Extract) (AFAJAJAI), Chelators & Sequestrants (Calcium Disodium EDTA, Citrates as Preservation Aids) (AFAJAFAH), Salt, Acids & pH Regulators (Citric/Lactic/Phosphoric, Buffers) (CRADAOAC), Yeast Products & Fermentation Metabolites (Yeast Culture, MOS/β-Glucans) (AFADALAM)

Keywords

• Citric acid manufacturing
• Citrate salts
• Surface fermentation
• Mycelium ingredients
• Circular bioprocesses

Headquarters

HQ city

Tienen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Citric Acid Sales: Sale of citric acid in anhydrous, monohydrate and liquid formats to food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and industrial manufacturers
2. Citrate Salts Sales: Sale of trisodium citrate and monosodium citrate for buffering, pH control and formulation stability applications
3. Mycelium Ingredients: Sale of wet mycelium for feed supplementation and dry mycelium powder for biomaterial applications including shoe uppers, leather goods, luxury packaging, furniture and automotive
4. MycaNova Brand: Sale of MycaNova fabrics and biomaterials made from upcycled mycelium for sustainable design applications
5. MycoFence and MycoGlucan: Sale of beta-glucan products derived from mycelium for animal feed and pet nutrition applications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Citribel manufactures citric acid (anhydrous, monohydrate and liquid), citrate salts (trisodium citrate and monosodium citrate) and mycelium-based ingredients through natural surface fermentation using sugar molasses as raw material. Products are supplied in bulk volumes (25 kg bags, big bags and liquid formats) to food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, personal care, animal nutrition and industrial manufacturers worldwide.

Product overview

CITRIBEL is a European manufacturer based in Belgium that transforms sugar molasses into citric acid, citrate salts and mycelium ingredients through natural surface fermentation. The company's portfolio includes citric acid (anhydrous, monohydrate and solutions), trisodium citrate and monosodium citrate, produced under strict quality standards with a circular manufacturing approach. CITRIBEL also produces mycelium-based products under the MycaNova, MycoFence, and MycoGlucan brands, serving food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, personal care, animal nutrition and industrial markets worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MycaNova: Innovational brand offering high-quality biomaterials made from upcycled mycelium for applications such as shoe uppers, leather goods, luxury packing, furniture, automotive.
• MycoFence
• MycoGlucan

Products and services

• Citric Acid Citric acid in anhydrous, monohydrate and liquid formats produced through natural surface fermentation using sugar molasses. Used by food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and industrial manufacturers for pH control, buffering, chelation, flavor enhancement and preservation.
• Citrates Citrate salts including trisodium citrate and monosodium citrate, used by food, pharmaceutical and personal care manufacturers for buffering, pH control and formulation stability.
• Feed & Agro Feed and agro business offering wet mycelium rich in protein for feed supplementation and dried mycelium powder for blending into animal nutrition formulations.
• MycoFence Pure organic immunity booster derived from mycelium, rich in high-quality beta-(1,3/1,6)-glucans (>60%), supplied for animal feed formulations including aquaculture applications such as salmon.
• MycoGlucan Immune booster for pets derived from mycelium of Aspergillus niger, rich in beta-glucans for functional feed applications supporting pet immune health.
• MycaNova Innovative brand offering high-quality biomaterials made from upcycled mycelium, supplying sustainable materials for shoe uppers, leather goods, luxury packaging, furniture and automotive applications.

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): Major global food ingredients and fermentation company producing citric acid, citrates, and other acidulants. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving food, beverage, pharma, and animal nutrition end-markets at scale.
• Roquette: French global leader in starch and polyols, expanding into fermentation-based ingredients including organic acids and citrates. Comparable as a large European-based fermentation ingredients manufacturer.
• Tate & Lyle: UK-listed food ingredients supplier with citric acid and specialty acidulants alongside sweeteners, starches, and texturants. Comparable as a B2B ingredient manufacturer targeting food, beverage and industrial customers.
• Kerry Group: Irish-headquartered taste and nutrition company with fermentation-derived ingredients including yeast extracts and beta-glucans for food, beverage and pharma customers. Comparable as a B2B specialty ingredient supplier leveraging fermentation know-how.
• DSM-Firmenich: Dutch-Swiss ingredients and flavors giant with extensive fermentation-based products including organic acids, vitamins, and food ingredients. Notable as a former owner of Citribel (via DSM) and a competitor in fermentation-driven food and pharma ingredients.
• Cargill: Global agricultural commodities and food ingredients conglomerate that produces citric acid alongside a vast portfolio of sweeteners, starches, and fermentation products. Comparable as a large-scale supplier to the same B2B food and industrial customers.

Direct peers

• Lesaffre: French global leader in yeast and fermentation, producing yeast-derived beta-glucans and other fermentation metabolites for food, feed, and nutrition. Comparable to Citribel's MycoFence and MycoGlucan beta-glucan offering from a fermentation platform.
• Jungbunzlauer: Swiss-headquartered producer of citric acid, citrates and other fermentation-based ingredients via surface and submerged fermentation. Direct competitor to Citribel in bulk citric acid and citrate salts serving food, beverage, pharma, and personal care.

Emerging players

• Ecovative Design: US mycelium materials company producing mycelium-based packaging, textiles, and leather alternatives. Directly comparable to Citribel's MycaNova biomaterials business targeting leather substitutes, packaging and design applications.
• MycoTechnology: US-based fermentation company using fungal mycelium to produce food ingredients and flavor modifiers. Comparable to Citribel's MycaNova and mycelium ingredient strategy of commercializing mycelium biomass and derived compounds for food applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Citribel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citribel

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 CITRIBEL