AgroSpheres, Inc., a Charlottesville-based agricultural biotechnology company, officially opened its first commercial biomanufacturing facility, representing a milestone for AgroSpheres and the biotech ecosystem. Speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included:
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Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger,
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AgroSpheres co-founders CEO Payam Pourtaheri and CTO Ameer Shakeel,
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Albemarle County Chair of the Board of Supervisors Ned Gallaway,
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President of the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development Helen Cauthen,
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Virginia Delegate Katrina E. Callsen,
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Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier, and
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Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery.
AgroSpheres develops and manufactures innovative biological crop protection solutions that replace chemicals and microplastics on U.S. farms and soil. Powered by a proprietary AgriCell® platform, these highly effective, next-generation products offer farmers new, natural tools that are safe for pollinators, workers and the environment. The Charlottesville facility is designed to support both current production needs and future growth, positioning AgroSpheres to scale alongside its commercial product portfolio.
“What we have built here is bigger than one facility,” said Ameer Shakeel, Founder and CTO of AgroSpheres. “AgriCell was invented and commercialized in Virginia, and now it is manufactured here. That full arc, from scientific discovery to commercial production, is rare in biosciences. On behalf of our team, we are so proud to be shaping the future of American agriculture from Charlottesville.”
Meeting National Demand at Home
While conventional U.S. agriculture relies heavily on the supply of foreign chemical ingredients for formulating crop protection products, AgroSpheres offers an effective alternative with American-made biologicals.
On the biomanufacturing side, the U.S. faces a well-documented shortage of premium commercial fermentation facilities as domestic demand from biotech companies outpaces available capacity, forcing many to look overseas for R&D and manufacturing. AgroSpheres is answering that challenge not as a contract manufacturer, but as a homegrown engineer and producer of nature-based crop protection solutions for American agriculture.
“From produce farms across the country to premium vineyards in Napa Valley where our first product is already in use for wine, famers now have powerful, natural and domestic options,” said Payam Pourtaheri, Founder and CEO of AgroSpheres. “Instead of looking overseas for synthetic ingredients or biomanufacturing, we are onshoring the production of American-made biological crop protection right here in Virginia, where this company was born and where we intend to grow.”
About the Facility
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Facility: 12,500-square-feet facility housing a premium commercial fermentation operation, a rare asset in U.S. biotech built by a company at only the Series B stage of financing.
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Capacity: Turn-key ability to treat hundreds of thousands of acres annually, with plans to expand capacity to millions of acres. Current production capacity includes a metric tonne of AgriCell-based formulations and tens of thousands of gallons of FUN-THYME, AgroSpheres’ first commercialized product. The company has additional products in its development pipeline with numerous major players in the crop protection space.
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FUN-THYME: AgroSpheres’ launch product is a highly effective, ultra-low-dose biofungicide formulated with thyme oil, which is safe for bees, workers and the environment, and proven durable under tough field conditions. Approved in 16 states, it’s already in use with premium grape growers in Napa Valley’s wine country.
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Economic impact: AgroSpheres has already created 35 jobs and invested $10 million in the region and is well on its way to fulfilling its commitment to invest $25 million total and create 53 jobs by 2030.
A Partnership Built on Virginia’s Commitment to Innovation
The facility was made possible through a partnership spanning multiple state and local entities. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Albemarle County to secure the project for the Commonwealth, which approved a $200,000 Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund grant to support it. Employee training has been funded through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation provided early backing through its Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund in 2019.
“We believe in AgroSpheres and other people should too,” said Gov. Spanberger. “They’re doing something so innovative. AgroSpheres develops bio-based crop protection products that are environmentally friendly and solutions with longer shelf lives than traditional alternatives. That means it can be less expensive and less of a hardship on producers. It’s a big deal in the agribusiness community. That is the kind of company Virginia should be cultivating.”
Governor Spanberger, who served on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology Subcommittee before becoming Virginia’s 75th Governor, has made agricultural resilience and sustainable innovation central priorities of her administration.