B2B startup IdeeLab has unveiled a new industrial-scale manufacturing facility in Brazil featuring increased capacity – from pilot scale to one million litres annually.

The increased capacity means that IdeeLab can officially call itself a full-service contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), allowing it to assist customers at any stage along the path to market.

The CDMO concept lets companies outsource much of the drug/solution development and manufacturing processes. Because CDMOs already have things like production infrastructure (e.g., fermentation tanks), expertise and familiarity with regulatory requirements, using one can cut time and cost.

AgFunderNews reports that CDMOs are best known in the pharma world, but the last few years have seen ag-focused biotech companies adopt the idea, too. For example, Australian startup Cauldron and U.S.-based Solis Agrosciences, both of which borrow from the CDMO concept in their businesses.

As a CDMO, IdeeLab says it will offer end-to-end services for biotech companies, with a particular focus on ag biologicals such as biofertilizers, biostimulants and biocontrol agents. The new facility can produce microorganisms, metabolites, recombinant proteins and peptides, and RNAi-based products.

According to Gustavo Mamao, IdeeLab’s head of international business development, Brazil is emerging as a global hub for agro-biological innovation, “backed by world-class science and development infrastructure.” He notes that IdeeLab can “offer international and local partners a proven platform for high-quality product development and manufacturing to accelerate their success in the Brazilian market.”

Companies can begin work with IdeeLab wherever in the process makes most sense to their business, be that with bioprospecting at the beginning or testing a product in the middle of the journey to commercialization.

One of IdeeLab’s differentiators is its exclusive microbial collection selected specifically for the biologicals market, and for tropical pests and diseases, noted the company.

IdeeLab’s new manufacturing facility is located near Londrina, in the state of Paraná, while its R&D facilities are based in Piracicaba (near São Paulo), where the company is currently headquartered.

The new facility will produce microorganisms, metabolites, recombinant proteins and peptides, and RNAi-based products for biofertilizers, biostimulants and biocontrol agents. According to Mamao, IdeeLab plans to continue boosting capacity at the new facility, with a goal of reaching six million litres annually by 2027.

Collaborate with key stakeholders across the biopesticide, biostimulant and biofertilizer sectors within Latin America at Biocontrol & Biostimulants LATAM, 29-30 July 2025, in Brazil.