- The world's leading provider of salmonid cell technology, BLUU, is scaling up its process in
collaboration with biotech producer Cultivate at Scale - BLUU has developed proprietary marine bioproduction technology that enables the indus-
trial-scale production of complex, regenerative, next-generation marine bioactive com-
pounds - Green light for the timely development of products in the personal care sector and, in the
future, for the healthcare and food markets
Informatie
Hamburg/Maastricht, April 13, 2026. The German company BLUU and the Dutch company Cultivate
at Scale (CaS) are establishing a joint industrial platform to produce marine ingredients. This German-
Dutch cooperation is part of BLUU's localized production strategy and marks an important milestone
in the company's international expansion. The project has enormous potential, bringing together the
Hamburg-based start-up, Europe's leading biotechnology company in fish cell cultivation, and interna-
tionally renowned cell scaling experts from Maastricht.
The collaboration is a partnership between equals. BLUU is providing the technology for cultivating
atlantic salmon and rainbow trout as well as its expertise in marine cells for the joint project, while
production partner CaS is supplying the necessary infrastructure and knowledge for setting up indus-
trial-scale production in large-volume bioreactors. The aim of this international cooperation is to pro-
duce fish cells on a scale relevant to sales. For the first time worldwide, the two companies have pro-
duced fish cells in bioreactors with the capacity of 1,000 liters.
The use of the facility in the Netherlands underscores the flexibility of BLUU's production approach
and highlights the robustness of the process that has already been achieved. At the same time, it ena-
bles the establishment of a long-term production partnership in Maastricht and offers potential for
future expansion into other European markets. This industrial expansion will enable the processes, and
cell growth in particular, to be further developed and accelerated, ultimately leading to significant cost
reductions. In this way, marine ingredients for a wide range of products can be offered at marketable
prices, traceable, and even produced in a sustainable manner without causing animal suffering.
One of the first areas of application for the cells produced is the personal care sector. Marine ingredi-
ents are in high demand in this attractive innovation market in particular thanks to their mode of ac-
tion.
“This joint project is a milestone in European cell cultivation and a significant step for us and it is a fine
example of efficient German-Dutch cooperation,” explains Jaco van der Merwe, Managing Director of
Cultivate at Scale.
“This is an important breakthrough for BLUU. Not only can we produce the ingredient, but we also
ensure that our cells are produced consistently in real production environments. Biotechnology is be-
coming increasingly important worldwide, and cell cultivation is a promising part of this. We have al-
ready impressively demonstrated our ability to grow fish cells in bioreactors in an ocean-friendly and
animal-friendly manner in recent years. We are proud to be able to show that we can implement this
on an ever-larger scale and serve our first market with personal care products. At the same time, we
are delighted to have such a strong partner at our side with CaS. We are convinced that together we
will create a sustainable production ecosystem,” explains BLUU CEO and co-founder Dr. Sebastian Rak-
ers.
About BLUU
Biotech company BLUU is the first company in Europe to specialize in the commercial production of fish cells. As
a pioneer in this field, BLUU is committed to producing sustainable marine ingredients from cell cultures. The
goal is to produce fish cells cost-effectively in bioreactors for products in the personal care, health care, and food
sectors without causing animal suffering, thereby making a significant contribution to climate and species pro-
tection. The start-up, with locations in Hamburg and Berlin, was founded in Lübeck in 2020 by Dr. Sebastian
Rakers and Simon Fabich with a team of experts from marine and cell biology. The biotech company currently
employs 28 people from 12 different countries.
About Cultivate at Scale
Cultivate at Scale supports companies and institutions working in the field of cellular agriculture to scale and
optimize their production processes. These include, for example, meat, fish, dairy products, leather, and other
animal or plant-based materials from cell cultures. CaS provides infrastructure, equipment, and expertise for
scaling, including laboratory and production facilities, bioreactors, and other technologies that contribute to the
industrial production of cellular agriculture products. In addition to supporting cell culture companies, CaS works
with suppliers and equipment providers to demonstrate the suitability and cost-effectiveness of their solutions.
Company contact
Dr. Cornelius Lahme
Marketing & Communications
E-Mail: cornelius@bluu.bio
Add comment
Comments