Holiferm

Holiferm is a UK biomanufacturing company that produces performance ingredients, principally biosurfactants, using fermentation. Its molecules — including sophorolipids and mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) — are positioned as renewable alternatives to petrochemical surfactants and are aimed at personal care, home care and agriculture applications. The company states its ingredients are manufactured in the UK, are associated with more than 50% less CO2 compared with petrochemicals and more than 50% less energy than traditional fermentation, and it frames a goal of preventing 1 gigaton of CO2 emissions by 2035.

Alongside ingredient supply, Holiferm offers formulation support through a customer support team that works on bespoke and joint formulations, formulation modification, and product testing and results verification. Its published formulation range spans home care (auto dishwash, laundry liquid, hard surface cleaner, toilet cleaner, glass cleaner, car shampoo, pet shampoo) and personal care (shampoo, cleanser, micellar water, moisturiser, face and body lotion, baby balm, facial foam, sun block, toothpaste, liquid eyeshadow, bath bomb). Consumer products made by partner brands using Holiferm ingredients include An'du shampoo and conditioner bars, Lobey makeup remover gel, shower foam, micellar water and eye makeup remover, Biotat tattoo numbing glide, Green Pyramid Biotech vegetable and fruit wash, The Derma Co Tran-Zelaic pigmentation corrector face wash, GMT Beauty anti-acne skin rescue, Cosy Cottage surface cleaner and 28N glycolipid milk cleanser.

Founding story

Holiferm was co-founded by Dr Ben Dolman and Dr James Winterburn and grew out of PhD research at the University of Manchester. In 2017, while a PhD student at Manchester, Dolman was named a finalist in Nouryon's Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation program for a process using gravity to separate biochemicals as they are produced; the technology was co-invented at the university and subsequently commercialised through the startup, supported by the University of Manchester's innovation ecosystem.

Business model

Holiferm manufactures and supplies biosurfactant ingredients to brand and formulator customers, supported by formulation development, joint-formulation work and product testing services, and by distribution partnerships in additional markets.

Traction

The company operates a kiloton-capacity commercial plant in Birkenhead producing sophorolipids at large scale, employs more than 50 people, and its ingredients appear in commercial products from multiple consumer brands.

Latest developments

Recent company announcements cover joining the BioRevolution Coalition to advance UK biotechnology and sustainable biomanufacturing, a partnership with Adiego Hermanos to bring biosurfactants to the Spanish market, a partnership with Cosy Cottage to develop MELs-based products, and the appointment of Charles Dimmler as CEO to drive international growth following a publicised search.