The Every Company, a prominent innovator in the field of animal-free egg protein, has significantly expanded its strategic partnership with pharmaceutical manufacturer Huvepharma, aiming to quadruple its production capacity for its flagship ingredient, OvoPro. This ambitious move is a direct response to an unprecedented surge in market demand, driven by widespread adoption in major retail channels and growing interest across e-commerce and foodservice sectors. The expanded collaboration leverages Huvepharma’s substantial fermentation infrastructure in Bulgaria, positioning The Every Company to meet the escalating needs of the global food industry for sustainable and high-performance protein solutions.
The Californian-based startup has experienced remarkable growth in the initial months of the current year. According to company statements, The Every Company secured annual orders in the first four months that represent 55% of its total projected order volume for 2025. This impressive uptake underscores the increasing consumer and industry preference for ingredients that offer both functionality and a reduced environmental footprint. The company’s precision-fermented egg white protein is already a feature in products available through major retailers such as Walmart and Target, as well as on the prominent e-commerce platform Amazon, indicating a strong market validation of its innovative approach.
The accelerated demand has necessitated a swift and strategic scaling of production. The expansion of the partnership with Huvepharma, a well-established pharmaceutical manufacturer, will grant The Every Company access to Biovet, Huvepharma’s subsidiary, and its extensive nine-million-litre fermentation facility located in Bulgaria. This facility is recognized as one of Europe’s largest and most adaptable sites for industrial fermentation, providing the critical capacity and flexibility required to meet the burgeoning market appetite for OvoPro.
Arturo Elizondo, co-founder and CEO of The Every Company, detailed the evolution of this partnership in an interview, highlighting its long-standing foundation and strategic importance. "We’ve been manufacturing with Huvepharma for the last three years," Elizondo stated. "Our production has been ongoing in their Bulgarian facilities, and this expansion has taken place within that same established infrastructure. Both companies have been investing in this facility to ramp up capacity over the past year." He further elaborated on the transition of the Bulgarian site, noting, "OvoPro was one of several products Huvepharma was producing in one of their Bulgarian sites. Now, the facility is transitioning to being fully dedicated to Every across multiple fermenters with room for much more additional capacity." This dedicated focus signifies a profound commitment from both partners to optimize the production of OvoPro and prepare for future product introductions from The Every Company’s fermentation platform.
Accelerated Expansion Driven by Market Dynamics
The decision to expedite the expansion timeline is a testament to the explosive growth trajectory of the animal-free egg protein market and, specifically, the success of OvoPro. Precision fermentation, the core technology employed by The Every Company, involves the precise engineering of microorganisms, such as yeast strains like Komagataella phaffii, to produce specific molecules. In the case of OvoPro, this process yields a recombinant ovalbumin protein that replicates the functional properties of egg whites, offering a versatile solution for a wide array of food applications. The company also produces OvoBoost, a tasteless and odorless protein equivalent to glycoprotein, and an animal-free pepsin, all of which have received regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The strategic focus on OvoPro is particularly relevant given the persistent challenges within the conventional egg supply chain. Issues such as egg shortages, exacerbated by factors like avian flu outbreaks, and significant price volatility have created a compelling market need for stable, high-quality alternatives. In some regions of the United States, the cost of a single egg has, at times, exceeded one dollar over the past couple of years, making the economic proposition of alternatives increasingly attractive. OvoPro serves a dual purpose for food manufacturers, acting as both a functional binding agent and a protein-enriching ingredient. Its applications span a broad spectrum of food products, including baked goods, snack bars, confectionery items, and pasta.
The Every Company has a history of scaling production strategically. As of the previous year, the company was already producing several metric tons of its product at an industrial scale of 63,000 liters in collaboration with Huvepharma. This was followed by a doubling of capacity at the beginning of 2026, with further plans for expansion. However, the overwhelming market reception for OvoPro has evidently outpaced these projections, prompting the acceleration of the current expansion. Elizondo confirmed, "The expansion is geared towards fulfilling OvoPro demand exclusively."
The increased output is earmarked for fulfilling existing orders from major retail partners like Walmart and Target, distributed through The Every Company’s diverse customer base. Furthermore, the expanded capacity will facilitate the building of inventory in anticipation of larger product launches planned for later in the year. Elizondo elaborated on the composition of current demand, stating, "The bulk of the orders are coming from existing customers supporting larger volumes of their existing SKUs already featuring OvoPro, as well as adding additional SKUs to their product lines." This indicates a deepening integration of OvoPro into established product portfolios and a strategic expansion of product lines by The Every Company’s clients.
The Strategic Advantage of a Co-Manufacturing Model
The Every Company’s choice to adopt a co-manufacturing model, rather than investing in its own wholly-owned production facilities, is a key element of its agile growth strategy. This approach allows the company to circumvent the substantial capital expenditure and multi-year lead times typically associated with building large-scale manufacturing plants. "Manufacturing has been a major bottleneck in our industry, largely because wholly owned facilities are often +$200M and have multi-year lead times," Elizondo explained. "With the right partners, we knew [we] could scale much faster and much more capital efficiently – paramount for our sector."
The selection of Huvepharma as a manufacturing partner was driven by its global scale and established expertise. "We chose Huvepharma because they are one of the largest industrial fermentation players in the world, with over nine million liters of installed fermentation capacity, making them uniquely suited as our European fermentation partner," Elizondo added. This partnership not only provides immediate access to significant capacity but also benefits from Huvepharma’s extensive experience in industrial-scale bioprocessing and its global reach, serving customers in over 100 countries.
Anguel Jeliazkov, Chief Executive Director of Biovet, articulated the synergy of the collaboration. "Bringing that capacity to EVERY’s protein platform is a natural extension of what we do," Jeliazkov stated. "We do not just scale processes – we industrialize them. That is the value we bring to this partnership, and the results so far demonstrate it clearly." This emphasis on industrialization suggests a process optimization and efficiency that goes beyond simple capacity expansion, translating into tangible benefits for The Every Company and its customers.
Operational and Economic Benefits of OvoPro
The OvoPro ingredient offers several compelling operational advantages for food manufacturers seeking to mitigate the risks associated with the volatile conventional egg supply chain. A key benefit is its extended shelf life of up to 24 months, which significantly reduces waste and simplifies inventory management. Furthermore, OvoPro does not require the costly and complex cold-chain transportation or storage infrastructure, a substantial logistical and economic advantage. Its high purity also contributes to favorable inclusion economics, meaning that less of the ingredient is needed to achieve desired product characteristics, thereby optimizing formulation costs.
Elizondo has previously highlighted the competitive pricing of OvoPro. "OvoPro is priced to be competitive with, or cheaper than, conventional battery-caged commodity eggs on a cost-in-use basis," he told Green Queen earlier in the year. He further noted the financial impact for their clients, stating, "Several multinational customers have already validated that switching to OvoPro is saving them money compared to conventional eggs." This direct cost saving, coupled with the enhanced supply chain stability and functional performance, presents a powerful value proposition for food businesses.
Financial Backing and Market Position
The Every Company has demonstrated significant traction in securing investment to fuel its growth and innovation. To date, the company has raised a total of $288 million. This includes a substantial $55 million Series D funding round completed in November, which provided the capital necessary for scaling production and further research and development. Beyond its core operations, The Every Company is also engaged in strategic collaborations to explore future manufacturing capabilities. Notably, it has partnered with Vivici, a Dutch startup focused on animal-free dairy, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office to investigate the establishment of an industrial-scale precision fermentation facility with a four-million-liter capacity.
In the competitive landscape of precision-fermented egg proteins in the U.S., The Every Company holds a distinguished position as one of only two entities to have received regulatory approval for its products. This regulatory clearance is a critical barrier to entry and a significant competitive advantage. The other company to achieve this milestone is Finland-based Onego Bio. However, the relationship between these two innovators has been marked by legal contention. The Every Company has initiated legal proceedings against Onego Bio, accusing it of "improper duplicative litigation" and seeking sanctions from a Delaware court. This action follows the dismissal of an identical case in Wisconsin, indicating a complex and ongoing legal dispute over intellectual property or market practices within this nascent sector. The Delaware dispute remains active, underscoring the high stakes and intense competition in the precision fermentation industry.
The current expansion of production capacity for OvoPro by The Every Company, in partnership with Huvepharma, signifies a pivotal moment for the company and the broader alternative protein industry. It reflects a successful translation of innovative technology into commercially viable solutions that address pressing market needs for sustainability, supply chain resilience, and cost-effectiveness. As demand continues to escalate, this strategic move positions The Every Company to solidify its leadership in the animal-free egg protein market and pave the way for further advancements in precision fermentation-derived ingredients.
