National Collection of Yeast Cultures
NCYC is a UK-based biological repository and service provider operating a 70+ year-old catalogue of over 4,400 authenticated yeast strains, supplying academic researchers, brewers, bakers, and industrial users via direct e-commerce and offering identification, deposit, and contract R&D services from the Quadram Institute Bioscience in Norwich.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersNorwich, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What National Collection of Yeast Cultures does
National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) is a UK-based biological repository and yeast-focused service provider, founded in 1949 and operated by QIB Extra Ltd from the Quadram Institute Bioscience at Norwich Research Park. The company maintains and distributes a catalogue of over 4,400 authenticated yeast strains collected over 70+ years, encompassing type strains, brewing strains (ale, lager, distilling, wine, cider), baking strains, specific application strains, genetically defined strains, and SGRP strains from the Saccharomyces Genome Resequencing Project. Products are delivered in multiple formats including live slope cultures, liquid cultures, glycerol stocks, freeze-dried ampoules, and genomic DNA, with separate pricing tiers for academic and commercial customers and an additional commercial-use licence fee layered on top.
NCYC operates an ISO 9001 accredited laboratory and serves as a recognized patent deposit authority under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Beyond strain supply, the company offers strain deposit services (confidential safe deposit, open collection, patent deposit), DNA fingerprinting and identification services, freeze-drying preservation, bulk yeast propagation for brewers, contract R&D and consultancy, and training programs. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via an e-commerce catalogue with advanced brewing-specific search filters (attenuation, flocculence, head formation, fermentation rate, clarity).
Customer segments include commercial and craft breweries, baking and food producers, academic and research institutions, and industrial/commercial users requiring IP-protected patent deposits. Named historical customers include British breweries, Anheuser-Busch, and African Distillers (Rhodesia) Ltd. Pricing is transparent and unit-based, with commercial slopes at £245 ex VAT, commercial freeze-dried ampoules at £195 ex VAT, and SGRP sets priced at £1,050-£1,125. The business has 1-10 employees and no disclosed funding rounds, suggesting a small, institutionally-anchored operation with stable but modest commercial scale.
National Collection of Yeast Cultures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Collection of Yeast Cultures
- Legal name
- QIB Extra Ltd
- Website
- https://ncyc.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NCYC is a UK-based biological repository and service provider operating a 70+ year-old catalogue of over 4,400 authenticated yeast strains, supplying academic researchers, brewers, bakers, and industrial users via direct e-commerce and offering identification, deposit, and contract R&D services from the Quadram Institute Bioscience in Norwich.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Collection of Yeast Cultures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biological Culture Collection Services
- NAICS
- All Other Food Manufacturing (31199), Food Manufacturing (311), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Beverages (2080), Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro industry
- Cultures, Probiotics & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Yeast, Adjuncts)Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/CPG Ingredients, Flavorings & Additives BrandsBeverage Fermentation Cultures (Beer, Wine, Cider, Kombucha, Fermented Soft Drinks)Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Cultures & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Probiotics, Yeast)Bakery & Baking Yeast (Fresh, Active Dry, Instant, Specialty Yeasts)Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Cultures & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Probiotics, Yeast)Microbiological Reference Cultures, Strains & Controls (Food Micro)Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Laboratory Proficiency Testing, Method Validation & Reference Materials (Food)
Keywords
Where National Collection of Yeast Cultures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norwich
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
National Collection of Yeast Cultures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Yeast Strain Sales: Sale of yeast strains in various formats including live slope cultures, liquid cultures, glycerol stocks, freeze-dried ampoules, and genomic DNA. Different pricing for academic vs commercial customers, with commercial purchases potentially requiring additional licence fees.
- Strain Deposit Services: Services for depositing yeast strains including confidential safe deposit, open collection deposit, and patent deposit options.
- Identification and Testing Services: Identification services, DNA fingerprinting, and quality control testing for yeast strains.
- Commercial Licencing: Commercial use licence fees for products purchased for commercial purposes, separate from the base product purchase price.
- Training and Consultancy: Training services and contract R&D services for customers requiring custom yeast-related research or development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Academic Pricing - Lower cost for research institutions |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Commercial Pricing - Higher cost for commercial users |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SGRP Sets - Specialised research strain sets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
National Collection of Yeast Cultures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NCYC maintains and supplies a curated, authenticated reference collection of over 4,400 yeast strains accumulated over 70 years, distributing them under Type, Brewing, Baking, Specific Application, Genetically Defined, and SGRP categories. The collection is complemented by a suite of microbiological services including strain deposit, safe deposit, freeze-drying, DNA fingerprinting, identification, recovery media, training, and contract R&D consultancy for breweries, bakeries, academic researchers, and industrial biotechnology users.
Product overview
National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) is a biological repository and service organization operating from the Quadram Institute Bioscience at Norwich Research Park, UK. The core offering is a catalogue of over 4400 authenticated yeast strains collected over 70 years, available as active cultures, freeze-dried ampoules, or genomic DNA. The portfolio includes specialized sub-collections: Type Strains for taxonomy, Brewing Strains (ale, lager, distilling, wine, cider) with phenotypic filters, Baking Strains, Specific Application Strains (assay, production, teaching), Genetically Defined Strains, and SGRP Strains from the Sanger Centre. Services encompass strain deposit (confidential, patent, open), culture supply, freeze-drying, identification/DNA fingerprinting, consultancy/contract R&D, training, and recovery media. Commercial use requires a separate licence agreement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Type Yeast Strains Authenticated reference type strains of yeasts, supplied for academic research, teaching, and quality reference purposes.
- Brewing Yeast Strains Yeast strains specifically curated and supplied for brewing applications, serving commercial breweries and craft beverage producers.
- Baking Yeast Strains Yeast strains curated and supplied for baking and bakery applications, used by industrial bakeries and baking researchers.
- Specific Application Yeast Strains Yeast strains selected and supplied for specific industrial or research applications beyond standard brewing and baking uses.
- Genetically Defined Yeast Strains Yeast strains with characterized and documented genetic profiles, supplied for research and genomics applications requiring known genotypes.
- SGRP Yeast Strains Yeast strains associated with the SGRP reference set, supplied for comparative genomics and population genetics research.
- Strain Deposit Service Service enabling researchers and organizations to deposit yeast strains into the NCYC collection for safekeeping, authentication, and public availability.
- Safe Deposit Service Confidential long-term storage service for proprietary or sensitive yeast strains, providing secure preservation under controlled conditions.
- Freeze-Drying Service Lyophilization service preserving yeast cultures for long-term storage and distribution, offered to external customers.
- DNA Fingerprinting and Identification Service Molecular identification and DNA fingerprinting of yeast strains, used for authentication, contamination analysis, and quality control.
- Consultancy and Contract R&D Expert consultancy and contract research and development services for breweries, bakeries, and industrial biotechnology customers working on yeast-related projects.
- Training Training programs for researchers, brewers, and industrial users covering yeast handling, identification, and microbiological techniques.
- Recovery Media Specialized recovery media supplied to resuscitate and culture yeast strains received from the collection or other sources.
- Bulk Yeast Supply Bulk supply of yeast cultures for industrial-scale users requiring larger volumes than standard catalog orders.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 4400 strains available
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use National Collection of Yeast Cultures
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
National Collection of Yeast Cultures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
National Collection of Yeast Cultures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Quadram Institute BiosciencecoreNCYC is hosted at the Quadram Institute Bioscience, located at Norwich Research Park. The Quadram Institute is a leading research institute in food and health sciences, providing the institutional infrastructure and research environment for the yeast culture collection.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
National Collection of Yeast Cultures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
National Collection of Yeast Cultures social profiles
Digital presenceNational Collection of Yeast Cultures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
National Collection of Yeast Cultures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Collection of Yeast Cultures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
National Collection of Yeast Cultures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
National Collection of Yeast Cultures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about National Collection of Yeast Cultures
What does National Collection of Yeast Cultures do?
NCYC maintains and supplies a curated, authenticated reference collection of over 4,400 yeast strains accumulated over 70 years, distributing them under Type, Brewing, Baking, Specific Application, Genetically Defined, and SGRP categories. The collection is complemented by a suite of microbiological services including strain deposit, safe deposit, freeze-drying, DNA fingerprinting, identification, recovery media, training, and contract R&D consultancy for breweries, bakeries, academic researchers, and industrial biotechnology users.
Is National Collection of Yeast Cultures a public or private company?
National Collection of Yeast Cultures is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was National Collection of Yeast Cultures founded?
National Collection of Yeast Cultures was founded in 1949. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is National Collection of Yeast Cultures based?
National Collection of Yeast Cultures is headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does National Collection of Yeast Cultures make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Yeast Strain Sales are the primary driver. The others are strain Deposit Services, identification and Testing Services, commercial Licencing and training and Consultancy.
Does National Collection of Yeast Cultures have an API?
No public API is recorded for National Collection of Yeast Cultures.
What industry is National Collection of Yeast Cultures in?
National Collection of Yeast Cultures's product category is Biological Culture Collection Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAOAI, Cultures, Probiotics & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Yeast, Adjuncts), with a secondary code of AFAJAJAC, Beverage Fermentation Cultures (Beer, Wine, Cider, Kombucha, Fermented Soft Drinks). Its NAICS code is 31199 and its SIC code is 2000.