Develops and produces more than 500 Specialty Ingredients for food, animal nutrition, pet food and health markets.
Kemin Industries, Inc.
Des Moines, Iowa (USA, worldwide headquarters and research campus) · more than 15 manufacturing sites worldwideNew on Amplifa
About Kemin Industries
Kemin Industries is a family-owned biotechnology and ingredients company founded in 1961 by R.W. and Mary Nelson, with worldwide headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa (USA). The company develops and produces more than 500 Specialty Ingredients, including antimicrobials, antioxidants, enzymes, functional proteins, microencapsulation products and botanical extracts. The value chain ranges from an in-house plant breeding program (rosemary, oregano, spearmint, marigold, Monarda) through extraction of target molecules to formulation and GMP-compliant production at more than 15 manufacturing sites worldwide. In addition, Kemin manufactures custom-built liquid dosing and application systems and offers laboratory services such as shelf-life, sensory, chemistry and microbiology analyses. Customer industries include, among others, food technology, animal nutrition, animal vaccines, aquaculture, human nutrition, pet food and textile enzymes. Kemin supplies customers in more than 120 countries and operates in more than 90 countries.
- Site
- Des Moines, IA, USA
- Processes
- Production of more than 500 Specialty Ingredients (food and feed additives), Encapsulation Technologies (microencapsulation), Enzyme development and production (enzymes), Customer Laboratory Services (CLS): shelf-life and sensory testing, Customer Laboratory Services: chemistry and microbiology analysis, Application Rate and Point Optimization, Oxidation Testing, Custom Liquid Application Systems (manufacture of custom dosing/application equipment)
- Materials
- Rosemary extract (FORTIUM® R / RGT), Green tea extract (in FORTIUM® RGT), Lutein from marigold (FloraGLO®), Chromium (KemTRACE® Chromium), Textile enzymes (KEMZYME® PRO), Tocopherols (FORTIUM® MT, Mixed Tocopherols), Propionic acid (BactoCEASE®, liquid antimicrobial), Sodium propionate (BactoCEASE®, USDA-approved)
- Certificates
- FSSC 22000, FAMI-QS, ISO/IEC 17025 (accredited laboratory, Pet Food & Rendering), GMP (company-wide), Certified Sustainably Grown (proprietary rosemary), Certified Sustainably Grown (proprietary rosemary, SCS Global Services)
- Founded
- 1961
- Industries
- Animal Nutrition and Animal Health, Animal Vaccines, Aquaculture, Food Technology (Bakery, Fats/Oils, Meat and Poultry, Tortillas), Human Nutrition and Health, Pet Food and Rendering
- 01
Plant breeding (Specialty Crop Improvement)
- 02
Cultivation of proprietary crops
- 03
Extraction of target molecules
- 04
Formulation into Specialty Ingredients
- 05
GMP production (more than 15 sites)
- 06
Microencapsulation / enzyme production
- 07
Analytics and application optimization (Customer Lab Services)
- 08
Custom equipment manufacturing (Application Solutions)
- 09
Assembly and commissioning at the customer
Materials and Processes
Rosemary extract (FORTIUM® R/RGT)
Natural antioxidant for extending shelf life, partly combined with green tea extract.
Propionic acid / sodium propionate (BactoCEASE®)
Liquid antimicrobial with USDA approval for ready-to-eat meat products.
Mold inhibitor (SHIELD®)
Liquid antimicrobial, originally developed in 1992 for the tortilla industry.
Lutein from marigold (FloraGLO®)
Carotenoid extracted from proprietary-bred marigolds for human nutrition.
Textile enzymes (KEMZYME® PRO)
Enzyme solutions for the textile industry.
Functional proteins (InnoBLQ™, Proteus®)
Protein solutions for meat, poultry, aquaculture and pet food.
Olive extract blends (OLESSENCE™)
Botanical extracts for shelf-life applications.
Locations
Des Moines, Iowa
USWorldwide headquarters (WWHQ) and Food Technologies site, 1900 Scott Avenue
- Molecular Advancement Center (50,000 sq ft of laboratory space, test kitchen, sensory laboratories)
- Bakery Innovation Center (2,300 sq ft)
- In-house manufacturing of custom liquid application systems
- Mobile pilot units for application testing
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of more than 500 Specialty Ingredients (food and feed additives)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Encapsulation Technologies (microencapsulation)Plastics | – | – | – | – | – |
| Enzyme development and production (enzymes)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Customer Laboratory Services (CLS): shelf-life and sensory testingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Customer Laboratory Services: chemistry and microbiology analysisTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Application Rate and Point OptimizationTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Oxidation TestingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Custom Liquid Application Systems (manufacture of custom dosing/application equipment)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dosing Engineering / Process Optimization (dosing quantities, application points)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pilot trials with mobile application unitsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Scale-up Support (product scale-up)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bakery Innovation Center: formulation and product development for bakery/tortilla products (2,300 sqEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Specialty Crop Improvement (SCI): plant breeding (bio-prospecting, conventional breeding)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Oregano, Rosemary, Spearmint, Marigold, Monarda |
| Extraction of molecules from botanical raw materialsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Rosemary extract, Marigold extract (lutein), Oregano, Spearmint, Monarda, Olive extract |
| Production of feed and pet food ingredients according to GMP (FSSC 22000, FAMI-QS certified)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid ingredient application systems (Custom Liquid Application Systems, custom-built) | Kemin (KAS) | – | – | – | In-house manufacturing, in use at customers worldwide |
| Mobile pilot units for application testing | Kemin (KAS) | – | – | – | – |
| Molecular Advancement Center (MAC) with 50,000 sq ft of laboratory space, test kitchen and sensory | – | 1 | 50,000 square feet | 2013 | Des Moines, Iowa, USA |
| Bakery Innovation Center (test/development facility) | – | 1 | 2,300 square feet | – | Des Moines, IA, USA |
| Worldwide Headquarters and Molecular Advancement Center (research/administrative campus) | – | 1 | – | 2017 | Des Moines, Iowa, USA |
| Production facilities for Specialty Ingredients (more than 15 manufacturing sites worldwide) | – | 15+ | – | – | worldwide |
Additional services
Quality and Certification
Kemin produces according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and is subject to FDA, USDA and FSMA compliance. The laboratories work with validated equipment, frequent internal audits and strict quality control protocols.
| Evidence | Des Moines, Iowa |
|---|---|
| FSSC 22000 | |
| FAMI-QS | |
| ISO/IEC 17025 (accredited laboratory, Pet Food & Rendering) | |
| GMP (company-wide) | |
| Certified Sustainably Grown (proprietary rosemary, SCS Global Services) |
History
- 1961
Founded by R.W. and Mary Nelson in Des Moines, Iowa; first feed additives were mixed in a Maytag wringer washing machine.
- 1963
Construction of the first manufacturing plant.
- 1967
Construction of the first office building on the plant site in Des Moines.
- 1992
Development of the liquid antimicrobial SHIELD® for the tortilla industry.
- 1997
Start of cultivation of proprietary rosemary with high carnosic acid content.
- 2004
Establishment of Kemin Food Ingredients (today Kemin Food Technologies); market launch of FORTIUM® R.
- 2006
New logo and vision: products for 80% of the world's population by 2042.
- 2013
Opening of the Molecular Advancement Center (50,000 sq ft) in Des Moines; USDA approval for BactoCEASE® in ready-to-eat meat products.
- 2014
Opening of the Bakery Innovation Center in Des Moines.
- 2017
Opening of the new worldwide headquarters (WWHQ) after a 5-year investment of USD 125.5 million; acquisition of Proteus®.
- 2019
Introduction of TillaPack™, TillaZyme™, TillaSoft™; goal "3.8 billion people reached daily" achieved two years early.
- 2020
Continued partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) impacting more than 115 million people in 84 countries.
- 2021
First certified sustainably grown proprietary rosemary worldwide (SCS Global Services); Net Zero sustainability vision by 2050.
- 2025
Co-founder R.W. Nelson passed away (April 2025).