NEW TECH FOODS

German food tech company Formo has appointed Andreas Heyl as chief technology officer, as the company moves toward industrial scale-up and commercialisation of its precision fermentation platform.

Heyl joins Formo following prior involvement with its technology and manufacturing roadmap. The company said its progress in precision-fermented casein – including functional performance in dairy applications and a pathway toward cost-competitive production – influenced his decision to take on the role.

Formo develops precision fermented casein, the core milk protein responsible for the functionality of cheese and other dairy products. With functionality established across its priority applications, the company is now focused on expanding customer engagement and scaling manufacturing ahead of commercial supply.

Heyl brings more than 20 years of experience scaling food, chemical and biotechnology processes into industrial production. He has previously held senior leadership roles at Lonza and ICL Group, including CTO positions overseeing global R&D, innovation and industrialisation strategies. He is also a co-founder of industrial biotechnology company Insempra.

Most recently, Heyl has advised industrial ventures on scaling technologies from pilot to commercial manufacturing and bringing products to market.

In his new role, Heyl will lead Formo’s scale-up strategy, product application development and cost-reduction efforts, with a focus on strengthening industrial robustness and accelerating time to market.

“Formo’s precision fermentation platform has reached a level of technical and economic maturity that makes industrial scale-up not just possible, but compelling,” said Heyl. “The fundamentals are in place. My role is to accelerate execution along the cost and scale curves and work closely with customers and partners to bring this technology into commercial reality.”

“This is a decisive phase for Formo,” added Raffael Wohlgensinger, founder and CEO of Formo. “Andreas brings deep experience in industrializing complex technologies under real economic constraints. His decision to join the executive team reflects both the strength of our technology platform and the momentum we are building toward commercialisation.”

Top image: © Formo Foods