Enifer moves PEKILO Pet onto the factory floor with first commercial-scale batch for pet food trials

Enifer has completed a four-ton production run of PEKILO Pet, giving pet food manufacturers their first meaningful commercial volumes of the fungal protein ingredient for product development and formulation trials.

• Enifer completed a four-ton production run of PEKILO Pet, making the ingredient available in substantial volumes for commercial product development.
• The company said the dry ingredient worked in both extrusion and retort systems and could be integrated into existing wet and dry manufacturing processes.
• Enifer said the batch arrived as pet food makers across Europe looked for more resilient, high-protein and differentiated ingredient options.

The batch marked an important step for the Finnish biotech company as it pushed PEKILO Pet beyond pilot-scale promise and into practical testing with manufacturers. Delivered as a dry ingredient suitable for standard storage and handling, the product has been designed to slot into existing wet and dry pet food production lines without requiring a major overhaul of manufacturing systems.

That's important because one of the biggest hurdles for any novel ingredient is not simply proving its nutritional case in a lab, but showing that it can perform under real factory conditions. For pet food manufacturers, that means assessing how an ingredient behaves during processes such as extrusion for dry products and retort treatment for wet applications, while also evaluating formulation flexibility, supply reliability, and consumer fit.

Jeroen Schweitz, Chief Commercial Officer at Enifer, said the latest run moved the company into that next phase. “With this production run, we can move PEKILO Pet from the R&D lab to the factory floor, and perform formulation trials under actual conditions,” he said. “We already know that PEKILO Pet performs well in both extrusion and retort systems. It provides to marketeers and developers a new ingredient that combines nutrition, sustainability, and enables differentiation in a demanding consumer market.”

The announcement came at a time when Europe’s pet food sector continued to grow, with manufacturers facing pressure from several directions at once. Pet ownership remained strong across many markets, while premiumization continued to reshape product development as brands looked for more functional, specialized, and higher-value offerings. Within that environment, protein ingredients had become an especially important area of focus.

Manufacturers were not only looking for high-protein inputs that could support premium positioning, but also for ingredients tailored to specific dietary needs. Exclusion diets and hypoallergenic products remained a key part of the conversation, especially as brands sought new ways to meet consumer demand for specialized nutrition without relying on a narrow pool of conventional raw materials.

At the same time, ingredient sourcing had become more strategic. Supply chain resilience, availability, and consistency were increasingly central to formulation planning, particularly after years of disruption across agricultural and commodity markets. For companies developing next-generation pet food products, the appeal of alternative proteins rested not just on sustainability claims, but on whether they could offer reliable supply and practical usability at industrial scale.

Enifer appeared to be leaning into that commercial reality in its positioning of PEKILO Pet. Rather than presenting the ingredient as a distant future solution, the company emphasized immediate usability: dry format, standard handling, compatibility with existing systems, and enough material to let manufacturers begin serious product work.

Simo Ellilä, CEO of Enifer, tied the latest batch directly to those broader market pressures. “This production run provides manufacturers with access to meaningful volumes at a time when protein diversification, ingredient reliability and sustainability are top of mind,” he said. “In a sea of novel proteins, PEKILO Pet offers flexibility in applications, ease of use, and consumer acceptability. We are working closely with manufacturers and brands as they integrate PEKILO Pet into their product portfolios.”

That last point may prove especially important. Many novel protein companies have spent years building technical narratives around sustainability or nutritional functionality, but commercial adoption in pet food often depends on a more grounded set of questions: can manufacturers use it without disruption, can formulators make it work in different product formats, and will brands feel confident bringing it to market?

By releasing a four-ton batch rather than a smaller pilot quantity, Enifer signaled that it wanted PEKILO Pet to be judged on those terms. The company was effectively handing manufacturers enough ingredient to test performance in realistic settings and to begin assessing where the protein might fit within actual product portfolios.

The dry format also strengthened that commercial case. Storage and handling can be a quiet but decisive factor in ingredient adoption, particularly for manufacturers working across multiple product lines and facilities. An ingredient that fits conventional logistics and production infrastructure is more likely to move from trial stage into regular use.

For Enifer, the production run also marked a visible step in the transition from technology story to market execution. Novel proteins have drawn sustained attention in both human food and pet food, but the companies making the clearest progress have increasingly been those able to show volume, manufacturability, and customer integration rather than just technical promise.

This latest milestone placed Enifer more firmly in that category. PEKILO Pet was no longer being discussed only as an ingredient under development. With the first substantial commercial batch completed, it had moved into the hands of manufacturers for the kind of real-world testing that ultimately determines whether a new protein can secure a lasting place in the market.