Ferments du Futur

What Ferments du Futur does

Ferments du Futur is a French public-private partnership (partenariat public-privé) founded in 2022 and coordinated by INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement) and ANIA (Association nationale des industries alimentaires), with €48.3M committed from the France 2030 investment plan over 10 years. The organization operates a one-stop fermentation R&D infrastructure combining the Centre d'Innovation Ferments du Futur (CI2F) at Paris-Saclay — 500 m² of laboratories with over €10M in equipment — and a distributed platform across 9 INRAE research units (CSGA, MAIAGE, MGP, MICALIS, PAM, SAYFOOD, SPO, STLO, UMRF) staffed by 15 members and 11 lead scientists. Core technical platforms include FERMIS (screening and fermentation with BioLector, AzurEvo, Minibio, and Multifors bioreactors, plus a 1L-to-5kg solid-state fermentation chain), ChimA (uHPLC-RID-DAD, LC/IC-MS-TQ, GC-MS analytical chemistry for metabolomics), and SIDURI (a structured data warehouse for starter culture and fermented food data supporting AI/ML modeling).

The business model layers three revenue streams: (1) core public funding from France 2030 distributed via annual competitive calls for projects (AAP), which have run for four consecutive years (2023–2026) and collectively award roughly €1.2–1.5M per year to 6 pre-competitive research projects across 14–18 research teams; (2) confidential end-to-end innovation project services sold to a 41-member ecosystem that includes enterprise food and beverage companies (notably Danone and Soufflet Malt), startups, research institutions, and competitiveness clusters, with CIR/CICo research tax credit accreditation to lower client cost; and (3) Symbiose workspace hosting, providing co-located office and laboratory access to the CI2F facility on a monthly subscription. Distribution is direct and field-led in France, supplemented by industry events (Food Ingredients Europe), earned media (Le Figaro, Les Echos, L'Express), and LinkedIn. Customers served include large food and beverage enterprises, French public research institutions, fermentation startups, and R&D teams needing capital-light access to specialized equipment. Geographic scope is France-domiciled, with European reach via IBISBA France membership.

Name

Ferments du Futur

Legal name

Ferments du Futur (FdF)

Website

https://fermentsdufutur.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ferments du Futur is a French public-private partnership coordinating fermentation R&D for food and beverage companies, French research institutions, and startups, operating the CI2F innovation center at Paris-Saclay and a distributed platform across 9 INRAE research units.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Orsay

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (France 2030): Primary funding of 48.3 million euros over 10 years from the France 2030 investment plan, supporting the public-private partnership structure and research activities
2. Membership Contributions: 41-member ecosystem including startups, companies, research institutions, and technical institutes contributing to the partnership
3. Innovation Project Services: End-to-end innovation project management and technology access services provided to companies under confidentiality, including equipment access and expert support
4. Research Tax Credits (CIR/CICo): Accredited organization for Research Tax Credit (CIR) and Research Collaboration Tax Credit (CICo), enabling companies to benefit from tax incentives when collaborating on R&D projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ferments du Futur is a French public-private partnership that operates a one-stop research and innovation infrastructure dedicated to ferments, fermented foods, and biopreservation. It provides member companies and research institutions with access to the Centre d'Innovation Ferments du Futur (CI2F) at Paris-Saclay — 500 m² of laboratories with over €10 million in equipment — together with a distributed platform across 9 INRAE research units. Core deliverables include confidential innovation project management, equipment and platform access (FERMIS screening/fermentation, ChimA analytical chemistry, SIDURI data warehouse), co-working/lab space (Symbiose), and an annual competitive research call for projects.

Product overview

Ferments du Futur is a public-private partnership (Grand Défi) coordinated by INRAE and ANIA, supported by 48.3 M€ from France 2030. The organization operates a one-stop infrastructure combining the Centre d'Innovation Ferments du Futur (CI2F) at Paris-Saclay (500 m², €10M+ equipment) and a distributed technological platform across 9 INRAE research units. Core offerings include FERMIS (screening and fermentation platform) with BioLector and bioreactors up to 10L, ChimA (analytical chemistry with uHPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS), SIDURI data warehouse for AI/ML-driven fermentation modeling, and CIRM microbial collections. Services encompass innovation project support (initiation to implementation), Symbiose co-working spaces, and an annual competitive research call (AAP) funding French public research institutions. The consortium includes 41 members including startups, enterprises, research institutions, and industry groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CI2F (Centre d'Innovation Ferments du Futur): The innovation center of Ferments du Futur located at Paris-Saclay, housing 500m² of laboratories with over €10 million in equipment.
• Plateforme distribuée
• SIDURI
• Symbiose
• FERMIS
• ChimA

Products and services

• Centre d'Innovation Ferments du Futur (CI2F) Innovation center located in the Paris-Saclay cluster housing 500 m² of laboratories and over €10 million in equipment, providing fermentation research infrastructure to industry members and research institutions.
• Distributed Technological Platform Network of 9 INRAE research units across France providing specialized expertise in food microbiology, process engineering, microbiome science, and data science, with FdF-financed equipment and personnel.
• FERMIS Platform (Screening and Fermentation) Screening and fermentation platform with BioLector microfermentation, AzureEvo (MilliDrop), Minibio (Getinge), and Multifors (Infors-HT) bioreactors for microbial screening and fermentation optimization.
• ChimA Platform (Analytical Chemistry) Analytical chemistry platform with uHPLC-RID-DAD (ThermoFisher), LC/IC-MS-TQ (ThermoFisher), GC-MS (Agilent) systems, and DHS and TDU extraction capabilities for targeted and untargeted metabolomics.
• SIDURI Data Warehouse Centralized structured data hub dedicated to fermentation modeling, aggregating high-quality data on starter cultures and fermented foods from public databases, collaborative projects, and industrial partners.
• Symbiose Workspace Co-working and laboratory space within CI2F offering open-plan offices, private offices, meeting rooms, and access to scientific platforms for companies conducting R&D projects.
• Innovation Project Support End-to-end confidential management of innovation projects including initiation, construction, and implementation phases with multidisciplinary expert teams.
• Annual Call for Projects (AAP) Annual pre-competitive research call funding French public research institutions and ACTIA-affiliated technical institutes to overcome scientific and technological barriers in fermentation.
• CIRM Microbial Collections Access Access to CIRM-BIA (bacteria of interest for food applications) and CIRM-Levures (French starter cultures and yeasts) microbial collections for strain selection and fermentation studies.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, key, strategic, core and supporting.

• Soufflet MaltmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202618-month research project on solid-state malt fermentation to develop cocoa alternative ingredients, with a pre-industrial demonstrator (4 tonnes) at Nogent-sur-Seine. Ferments du Futur contributes research expertise while Soufflet Malt provides industrial maltage expertise and scale-up facilities.
• CentraleSupéleckeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joined consortium bringing expertise in bioprocesses, biosourced materials, analytical chemistry, AI applied to bioproduction, and complex systems engineering. Already engaged in BIOCOBALT (solid-state fermentation for pigments) and GREENFERM (photosynthetic microorganisms) projects.
• IBISBA FrancestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Ferments du Futur is a member of IBISBA France, the French branch of the European industrial biotechnology infrastructure. This membership provides access to the European network and contributes to IBISBA's ambition for European infrastructure status.
• DanonemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024First collaborative project focusing on improving culture behavior in fermented dairy products and plant-based products, involving Danone research centers in Paris-Saclay and Utrecht alongside Ferments du Futur's CI2F.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022INRAE is the primary institutional co-initiator and coordinator of Ferments du Futur. The partnership leverages INRAE's network of research units across France and provides scientific governance through the Scientific Council and Strategic Orientation Committee.
• ANIA (Association nationale des industries alimentaires)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ANIA represents French food industries and is co-initiator of the partnership, ensuring industry relevance and private sector engagement in research priorities.
• CIRM-BIAsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Access to microbial collection dedicated to preservation of bacteria of interest for food applications, particularly those associated with fermented and/or biopreserved foods.
• CIRM-LevuressupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Access to yeast collection dedicated to traditional French starter cultures and yeasts involved in biotechnological processes.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• Givaudan: Swiss global leader in flavors and fragrances, with significant investment in fermentation-derived natural ingredients and bioprocess development. Adjacent to FdF's food fermentation focus, particularly for taste and aroma applications, but operating primarily as a commercial flavor house rather than a research infrastructure.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): US-listed global ingredients company with significant food and fermentation capabilities, including cultures, enzymes, and bioprotective ingredients. Adjacent to FdF's fermentation mandate, though operating at a vastly larger scale and as a commercial ingredient producer rather than a research partnership.

Direct peers

• NIZO Food Research: Dutch contract research organization specializing in fermentation, food microbiology, and protein innovation. Highly comparable to Ferments du Futur's screening, fermentation, and analytical chemistry platforms serving food and beverage clients, with a similar CRO-style business model.
• BRAIN Biotech AG: German biotech R&D company providing enzyme and microbial strain development services for food and industrial applications. Directly comparable to Ferments du Futur as a contract research and innovation partner for fermentation-based product development, with a similar focus on screening, bioprocess optimization, and industry collaboration.

Emerging players

• Lesaffre: French global leader in yeast and fermentation products, with significant R&D investment in starter cultures, biopreservation, and fermented food applications. Comparable to FdF as a French-rooted fermentation specialist, though operating as a commercial yeast and ingredient producer rather than a research infrastructure.
• Lallemand: Canadian-French company specializing in yeast, bacteria, and fermentation solutions for food, beverage, and health applications. Comparable to FdF in fermentation domain expertise and biopreservation focus, though operating as a commercial supplier rather than a research partnership.

Broad incumbents

• Wageningen Food & Biobased Research: Netherlands-based applied research institute within Wageningen University & Research, focused on food fermentation, ingredient innovation, and bioprocess development. Comparable to FdF as a mission-aligned public research partner for food fermentation R&D with industry collaboration.
• Chr. Hansen (now Novonesis): Denmark-headquartered bioscience company (merger of Chr. Hansen and Novozymes) developing microbial cultures, enzymes, and bioprotective solutions for the food industry. Comparable to FdF in fermented food cultures and biopreservation, but as a large global commercial player with in-house R&D capabilities.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB): German Fraunhofer institute covering bioprocess engineering, industrial biotechnology, and food technology. Comparable to FdF as a publicly funded applied research organization providing fermentation infrastructure and industry contract research.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's applied research organization with strong fermentation, food biotechnology, and bioprocess capabilities. Comparable to FdF as a publicly funded multidisciplinary research infrastructure that partners with industry on fermentation innovation projects, though operating at a much larger scale across multiple sectors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FermentsFutur
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ferments-du-futur
• Instagraminstagram.com/fermentsdufutur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Ferments du Futur