If the Microbe isn’t Happy, Nobody’s Happy

By Mark Warner, CEO, Liberation Labs
Special to The Digest

Why successful biomanufacturing starts with the organism

As companies rush to build the next wave of biomanufacturing capacity, they seek input from many stakeholders: elected officials who champion federal funding for their districts, agricultural conglomerates offering cost-advantaged feedstocks, and CEOs hoping the site is within weekend driving distance of home.

But too often, one key stakeholder is left out: the microbe doing the actual work.

Years ago, I wrote a piece for Biofuels Digest imagining what a microbe might say about their startup employer on Glassdoor—equal parts satire and uncomfortable truth. Today, channeling my manufacturing roots, I return in the role of union shop steward for our microbial workforce. Because in biomanufacturing, one thing holds true: if the microbe isn’t happy, nobody’s happy.  After many listening sessions, here’s feedback from the microbe:

Variety is the Spice of Life

Biotech R&D tends to reflect its funding sources. If your budget comes from dextrose producers, chances are you’re working with organisms that eat sugar. But that tunnel vision limits innovation. Many next-gen microbes are optimized for alternative feedstocks like methanol, acetic acid, or glycerin—each offering cost or sustainability advantages.

Siting decisions should begin with a clear view of the feedstocks your microbes actually use. Choosing the wrong geography can undermine even the best-engineered strain.

Cost Is Still King

Titer is often overemphasized in strain selection—but the cheapest-to-produce product isn’t always the one with the highest titer. Downstream processing and recovery yield matter. For example, filamentous fungi may generate great titers for food proteins, but often also produce similar-sized enzymes that complicate purification.

In contrast, methanol-fed Pichia pastoris may yield less per liter but excels at producing clean, high-purity product. The microbe doesn’t just care about how much it makes—it cares how cleanly it makes it.

If You See Water, It Should Be a Lake

The “industrial” in Industrial Midwest isn’t just branding—it’s economics. Utilities, feedstocks, and labor can be 30–50% cheaper in inland regions compared to coastal hubs. So if your microbe is peeking out the window, better it sees a Great Lake than the Atlantic or Pacific.

The Bottom Line

The best facility location is the one your microbe would choose. That means prioritizing cost, clean downstream processing, and appropriate feedstocks—not just policy incentives or convenience.

For what it’s worth, every microbe we surveyed gave Richmond, Indiana two thumbs up.