Javier Viña, CEO of Cultiply: “We bring fermentation from the laboratory to the industry thanks to the support of CDTI Innovation and FEDER funds”
Cultiply was born in 2020 with a clear objective: to bring advanced fermentation closer to sectors where until now its high cost limited its use. With the support of the CDTI Innovation and the European funds FEDER, the Andalusian company has developed BIOREACTOR 1000, a project that allows it to scale bioprocesses from the laboratory to pre-industrial environments through an integral model that combines microbiology, engineering and plant design.
The history of the Andalusian company Cultiply began in 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, when its founders identified an opportunity in a market where advanced fermentation was reserved almost exclusively to the pharmaceutical field for its high costs. Its objective was to transfer this technology to other sectors with great development potential: "The idea arose because we detected that many sectors, from agriculture to cosmetics, needed fermentation to create high-value products, but their potential was only being harnessed in the pharmaceutical world," explains Javier Viña, CEO of the company.
Based on the experience of Javier Viña and Sergio Romero in industrial microbiology, the company opted for a model that integrated biotechnological development and engineering under a single team to accompany its customers throughout the process, from the optimization of microorganisms to industrial scaling. "Since then we have opted to unify disciplines and to be that 'external laboratory' that accompanies customers from the development of bioprocesses to industrial scaling," emphasizes the CEO.
This approach allowed Cultiply to quickly consolidate itself in both the national and international markets and expand its activity to areas such as biofertilizers, probiotics, recombinant proteins or ingredients for human and animal feed. In all of them, fermentation is applied to develop new bioproducts and transform industrial by-products into raw materials of high added value.
Biotechnological innovation with an integral 360º model
The differential value of Cultiply lies not only in fermentation, but in the way it is brought from the laboratory to the industry. The sector is usually fragmented: when a company wants to develop a new bioproduct, it is forced to first hire a research laboratory for microbiological development and then go to a company specializing in production and engineering to design and execute the physical scaling of the factory.
The Cultiply team works on the development of bioprocesses that facilitate the industrial scaling of advanced fermentation
Cultiply breaks with this traditional separation by integrating both capabilities into a single work team. “We listen to the need, we optimize the growth of the microorganism, we custom design the pilot or industrial plant and supply it turnkey,” says the CEO.
It is a ‘360º approach’ that shortens development times and costs by unifying the entire process and providing complete coverage ranging from microbiota analysis to production plant design. For customers, having Cultiply means “a greater guarantee of success and the peace of mind of knowing that we work with our own laboratories, pilot plants and bioreactors”, he adds.
The technical leap towards the BIOREACTOR 1000
The project called BIORREACTOR 1000 represents a qualitative and quantitative milestone in the technological capabilities of the Andalusian firm. “BIOREACTOR 1000 is a project for the design, acquisition and integration of a high-capacity bioreactor, together with auxiliary control systems, sensors and air and nutrient treatment”. It is a ‘container’ designed to maintain perfect environmental conditions in order for bacteria or yeasts to multiply and work optimally. “It could be compared to a greenhouse, but for bacteria or yeast,” explains Javier Viña.
With this project, CULTIPLY manages to leave behind the reduced volumes of laboratory scale to fully enter the pre-industrial scale, allowing it to increase its scaling capacity and introduce new processes. “The designed bioreactor incorporates digital controllers, state-of-the-art instrumentation and an automated feeding system that allows temperature, aeration and agitation profiles to be programmed,” says the CEO. In practice, “this improves batch reproducibility, reduces the risk of contamination and gives us real-time data to optimize each fermentation.”
Thanks to this new capacity, CULTIPLY will be able to attend to larger scale services and develop “new generation biofertilizers, innovative cosmetic ingredients or functional ingredients for animal and human food”. It will also allow them to work with more demanding microorganisms such as probiotics and validate processes for third parties before building their plants.
Real sustainability through the circular economy
Beyond the increase in capacity, BIOREACTOR 1000 reinforces one of the lines of work that defines Cultiply: taking advantage of fermentation to revalue industrial by-products and reduce the consumption of resources. “One of our lines of work is the revaluation of by-products: raw materials that are practically waste, such as agricultural remains or co-products of the food industry, become a substrate for microorganisms, generating a product of high added value,” says Javier Viña.
This advance also allows for greater energy and resource efficiency by consuming less water and energy per unit volume. Added to this is the efficient engineering of the equipment: “The new equipment incorporates water recirculation systems, sensors that adjust dosage based on metabolic demand and in situ cleaning programs that reduce the amount of detergents and water used. All of this allows us to reduce the carbon footprint and the waste of resources,” he adds.
The BIORREACTOR 1000 project allows Cultiply to scale fermentation processes with its own technology and advanced control
In addition, this project contributes directly to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption) and SDG 13 (climate action), by promoting more efficient biotechnological processes, reducing the use of virgin raw materials and promoting the circular economy.
The impulse of the CDTI Innovation
For Javier Viña, this progress would not have been possible without the support of the CDTI Innovation and the financing of the European ERDF funds: “The support of CDTI Innovation, through the LIC A line (Expansion Direct Line), has allowed us to finance the investment in this innovative equipment. Without that help, it would be difficult to buy such advanced technology.”
In addition, according to the CEO, the CDTI Innovation seal brings added value in terms of corporate reputation. “Beyond the financial aspect, the guarantee of the CDTI validates our project before customers and partners, strengthens our credibility and allows us to continue growing in a sustainable way. It is a recognition of the work we have been doing and encourages us to continue betting on R&D, both internal and external”, he stresses.
Towards a more sustainable biotechnology
Looking to the future, Cultiply’s goals are ambitious and seek to position the brand internationally in a solid way. “Our vision is to become a European reference in industrial microbiology and bioprocesses, expanding our portfolio of products and services and covering all the stages that customers require.”
In the short term, Cultiply’s objectives are to consolidate the bioprocess plant, increase the workforce and open the market in northern Europe and Latin America. In the medium term, the strategy focuses on enhancing the turnkey engineering model for third parties, with the aim of increasing the number of projects dedicated to the design of customized plants for their customers, as well as developing new ingredients and applications.
The company wants to continue growing without losing the link with research and knowledge transfer, convinced that biotechnology will be key to moving towards a more sustainable industry. “I firmly believe that what we do contributes to society: it creates quality employment and generates wealth in Andalusia. We would also like to continue collaborating with universities and technology centers to transfer knowledge and promote more sustainable and circular biotechnology” concludes Javier Viña.
CDTI Innovation
The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the CDTI provided 2,423 million euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.
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