Develops and markets microbiological rhizobia inoculants and seed treatment products for organic farming.

Saphium Biotechnology GmbH

Kapfenstein 105, 8353 Kapfenstein, AustriaNew on Amplifa

2015Founded

2Employees

Kapfenstein, ATSite

GmbHLegal form (FN 435901 g)

About Saphium Biotechnology

Saphium Biotechnology GmbH, based in Kapfenstein, Styria, develops microbiological products for organic and regenerative agriculture. Its core product is Legumino, a rhizobia inoculant (root nodule bacteria) for inoculating legumes such as soybean, faba bean, pea, lupine, alfalfa, chickpea, mung bean and runner bean. The bacterial strains are isolated and cultured from European and Austrian arable soils; Austrian plant charcoal made from wood and wheat husks is used as carrier material instead of peat. The product range is sold directly via its own online shop and additionally includes seed treatment products from SeedForward GmbH (CornGuard, GrainGuard, LeguGuard, VeggieGuard, MaisGuard OF). Products such as the Legumino powder for soybean are approved as inputs for organic farming under EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 and the BIO AUSTRIA standard. Customers include, among others, Sonnentor and regional grain storage houses. The company was founded in 2015 and operates as a small team at its Kapfenstein site.

Site: Kapfenstein
Processes: Development of microbiological inoculants, Seed treatment products / seed treatment, Online shop / direct sales, Soil blog / consulting
Materials: Rhizobia Inoculant (Legumino), Plant Charcoal, Xanthan, Rock Dust
Certificates: EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 / BIO AUSTRIA standard input approval, EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 / BIO AUSTRIA standard (EASY-CERT), ISO 9001
Founded: 2015
Employees: 2
Industries: Organic and regenerative agriculture, Organic arable farming, Seed and seed treatment products, Agriculture (organic/regenerative)

01
Isolation of rhizobia strains from European arable soils
02
Cultivation of the bacteria
03
Production of the inoculant on plant charcoal carrier
04
Filling as powder (400 g / 2000 g)
05
Direct sales via online shop

Products and Ingredients

LEG

Rhizobia Inoculant (Legumino)

Multi-strain root nodule bacteria culture for nitrogen fixation at the roots of legumes.

PKO

Plant Charcoal

Carrier material produced in Austria from wood and wheat husks, replacing peat.

XAN

Xanthan

Component of the Legumino powders used as a binder.

GME

Rock Dust

Mineral component of the inoculant.

Site

Kapfenstein

Company headquarters, development and sales

Products

**Legumino Powder Runner and Garden Bean 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Organic arable farming

**Legumino Powder Fenugreek 400 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Special crop

**Legumino Powder Mung Bean 400 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Organic arable farming

**Legumino Powder Soybean 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Organic arable farming

**Legumino Powder Alfalfa 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Forage farming

**Legumino Powder Lupine 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Organic arable farming

**Legumino Powder Chickpea 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Special crop

**Legumino Powder Pea and Vetch 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Organic arable farming

**Legumino Powder Faba Bean 2000 g**Rhizobia inoculant · Organic arable farming

Inside the production

Nodules (rhizobia symbiosis) on the root of the garden bean

Legumino Powder Soybean, 400 g for 1 hectare

Legumino Powder Alfalfa, 400 g for 2.5 hectares

Legumino Powder Lupine, 400 g for 1 hectare

Legumino Powder Runner and Garden Bean, 400 g for 1 hectare

Legumino Powder Pea and Vetch, 400 g for 1 hectare

Legumino Powder Faba Bean, 400 g for 1 hectare

Industries

Organic and regenerative agricultureOrganic arable farmingSeed and seed treatment productsAgriculture (organic/regenerative)

Additional services

Development of microbiological inoculantsSeed treatment products / seed treatmentOnline shop / direct salesSoil blog / consulting

Reference customers

Sonnentorregional grain storage houses

Certification

The products are approved as inputs for organic farming under EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 and the BIO AUSTRIA standard by EASY-CERT services GmbH (verification number 2001117, valid until January 2027).

Evidence	Kapfenstein
EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 / BIO AUSTRIA standard (EASY-CERT)
ISO 9001

Company History

2015
Application of the team, which had come together during natural sciences (NAWI) studies in Graz, to the Irish life science accelerator RebelBio in Cork with the idea of compostable plastics made from CO2 and H2; three-month participation in the program.
2016
Affiliation with the Science Park Graz; development of the first rhizobia inoculants.
2017
First small-scale sales of the Legumino rhizobia inoculant; first customers were Sonnentor and regional grain storage houses.
2019
Expansion of the sales network; further development of additional products, especially compostable bioplastics.
2020
Co-founders Bernhard Brauner-Runge, Josef Tauchner and Sanel Durakovic withdraw from active company development.
2021
Christof and Katharina Winkler-Hermaden continue to run the company in Kapfenstein.