New cutting-edge facility in Pohlheim boosts Hessen’s biotech industry

Novonesis – a leading global biosolutions company formed through a recent merger of Chr. Hansen and Novozymes – has inaugurated a state-of-the-art customer and application center in Pohlheim, part of a broader expansion effort at the company’s site where 125 employees are currently based. This investment follows a 60% expansion of the production area in 2018 and is expected to create additional jobs, further boosting the local economy.

The new facility spans four floors and 1,200 square meters, housing advanced laboratories dedicated to microbiological and chemical-physical analyses and a Biosafety Level 2 area focused on researching the effects of microbial cultures to enhance food safety. Cultures from the Pohlheim facility are used in products like yogurt, cheese, and salami. The company particularly relies on the process of fermentation to make foods durable and resistant to pathogens, alter their flavor, and give products new sensory and nutritional properties. The company is increasingly involved in the growing field of plant-based meat alternatives.

Novonesis was formed in January of this year through the merger of Chr. Hansen and Novozymes, creating a significant player in the biotechnology sector with a global reach. The Pohlheim site, initially established in 1968 and expanded multiple times, has evolved into one of the world’s most advanced centers for microbial research and application. It has been a leading competence center for the production and application of microbial cultures, making the latest advances in applied science and fermentation technology accessible and usable for food processors.

The investment in this new center not only reinforces the company’s commitment to innovation but also highlights Hessen’s strategic importance as a hub for biotechnology. Novonesis is among the growing number of leading biotech companies contributing to this thriving sector in Hessen, which employs around 60,000 people in our state. The continued growth of the Pohlheim site is expected to boost economic activity in the region and beyond.

Hessen Trade and Invest (HTAI) has worked closely with Novonesis in recent years to help strengthen the company’s ties to our state’s large biotech community. HTAI CEO Rainer Waldschmidt attended the official opening of the new customer and application center in June.