Planetary

Planetary is a Switzerland-based biomanufacturing company that builds, owns, and operates a network of fermentation facilities to produce bio-based products at industrial scale on behalf of partner companies. Its offering spans precision fermentation and bio-based materials, with microbial fermentation positioned as the core process enabling production of goods for end applications ranging from food to textiles. The company presents its proprietary BioBlocks fermentation and AI platform as the means to scale up, optimize, and manufacture partner products with targeted cost of goods and sustainability outcomes.

A named product focus is mycoprotein, a fungal biomass ingredient for alternative protein applications including plant-based meats and dairy-free milks. Planetary operates a mycoprotein production facility in Aarberg, canton of Bern, where processes are run and scaled from roughly 300 litres to 50 m3 (50kL), in both batch and continuous modes, for external clients as well as internal products. The company frames its stated ambition around reducing greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use by supplying fermentation production infrastructure.

Founding story

Planetary was founded by a group of biotechnologists and engineers with the stated mission of developing biomanufacturing facilities to enable sustainable bio-based production at industrial scale. Co-founder and CEO David Brandes previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at Migros Online, was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Co., and co-founded Peace of Meat, which exited through acquisition and a NASDAQ IPO. Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Prof. Dr. Ian Marison brings over 40 years of academic and industrial experience in fermentation for food and biopharma.

Business model

Planetary acts as a contract biomanufacturer and infrastructure owner: it builds, owns, and operates fermentation facilities and produces fermentation-based products at scale for partner companies, alongside developing internal products such as mycoprotein.

Traction

Operates a 50kL (50 m3) mycoprotein fermentation site in Aarberg and was recruiting bioprocess engineering, production, and administrative staff to further develop the facility, including work toward continuous production at 50 m3 scale for external clients and internal products.

Latest developments

Open roles included a bioprocess production engineer at the Aarberg 50kL site, a bioprocess engineer in Geneva focused on factory and plant design, and an executive assistant, indicating expansion of production and engineering capacity.