About us
Founded by the Dutch dairy industry, we develop processes and products applying science and technology at lab scale and in our food-grade processing centre.
Founded by the Dutch dairy industry, we develop processes and products applying science and technology at lab scale and in our food-grade processing centre. After a management buy-out in 2009 we now are a private and independent company. We work for food and health companies worldwide, applying our expertise in proteins, bacteria and processing. Find out more about our history
You’ve come to the world’s leading company in contract research for better food and health.
NIZO is a private and independent organization, operating as one of the most advanced food and health R&D centers worldwide with We bring the latest food technologies to life in Europe’s largest, state‑of‑the‑art and highly flexible food‑grade pilot plant.
Our work focuses on developing and applying innovations for the global food industry and related markets. Customers rely on our expertise to improve product quality, enhance sustainability, reduce costs and accelerate time‑to‑market. We continually explore new ways to advance food products — while also contributing to a better quality of life.
Our headquarters are located in Ede, the Netherlands.
Every day the world population increases by 200,000 people. People who need good, healthy and safe food. We know better food is essential for better health. Today, and in the future for our children. That’s why we are convinced that the only road to success is to work closely with our customers: innovative food, ingredient and health companies. Our knowledge and expertise in bacteria, proteins and processing is the starting point of our contribution to innovation.
Engagement of our customers naturally results in value creation. We are only satisfied when our innovations actually reach consumers. When our customers grow their competitive advantage, consumers enjoy better food and health. That’s the reason we come to work at NIZO every day. Now and in the future.
At the start of the 21st century, the shifts within the dairy industry became permanent, prompting NIZO to evolve from a foundation into a company. The guaranteed funding we had long received from the Dutch dairy sector gradually disappeared and was replaced by income from contract research. This change meant we were free to work for any organisation—except the international dairy industry, as NIZO was still owned by Dutch dairy companies at that time. To strengthen our global presence, we opened international offices in the UK, France and the USA, followed by a new office in Japan in 2007.
Our 60th anniversary in 2008 marked another milestone: the opening of our Application Centre, featuring an industrial kitchen. This facility enables us to co‑create new food concepts together with customers, scientists and chefs.
In 2009, NIZO management acquired the company from the dairy industry, enabling us to work with any company worldwide. Today, NIZO is a fully private and independent organisation. All our income is generated through R&D and production contracts with companies across the globe—around 50% of our turnover now comes from outside the Netherlands. We collaborate one‑on‑one with our customers, many of them global leaders in food and health, granting them IP ownership upfront and helping strengthen their competitive advantage by accelerating time to market and reducing development costs.
In 2023, our pilot plant was further expanded with new equipment for processing plant‑based proteins, supporting the growing demand for sustainable, protein‑rich foods.
In 2016 Gilde Healthcare, a transatlantic investor in fast growing healthcare technology and healthcare services companies, took a majority share in NIZO. This underlines our ambition to broaden the development and application of our innovative technologies from food to related markets such as personal care and pharma. In 2025, OostNL joined NIZO as a partner.
