Based in the north of France, Fermentis is a business unit of the Lesaffre Group: global key player in yeasts and fermentation solutions. We recently checked in with Denise Jones—technical sales support manger for Fermentis, Americas—to learn more about the company’s offerings.
ACSA: How does Fermentis support creativity for its customers?
Denise Jones: The vast diversity of Fermentis SafSpirit™️ distiller’s yeast strains are intuitively creative. Fermentation for distillation has a couple of key purposes; to create alcohol efficiently and create flavor (or absence of flavor) for spirits in maturation development. Directly from the package, our fermentation products have remarkable native properties. They are sufficiently well-nourished to be robust from the start-up, as well as over the fermentation time. The quality of their biomass and the high content of survival factors (sterols, etc.) ensure a performant metabolic function, even under difficult and stressful conditions. Additionally, depending on their genetics, yeasts have more or less abilities to assimilate and bio-transform compounds and to generate corresponding aromas and flavors for short and long-term maturation. For neutral spirits, clean fermentations with very little congener generation. The distiller is in charge of how the variabilities in fermentation will translate into the final impression of a spirit and its creativity.
Can you give us a quick summary of what you offer craft distillers, and how many products/services you offer?
Fermentis offers yeast strains for whiskey/whisky and grain-based spirits, spirits made from starchy agricultural crops, agave spirits, rums and other cane sugar spirits, fruit brandies, and neutral spirits. The entire SafSpirit™️ portfolio of distilling strains are selected for their ability to offer success with a range of carbohydrate sources under varying fermentation conditions. Assisting distillers with the technical information helps them achieve their fermentation goals, directly addressing our goals in building a partnership for quality fermentations. We also offer nutritional products and bacterial applications for a variety of fermented beverages, further assisting distillers with diversity for their spirit production opportunities.
What is your most popular product among distillers?
Fermentis probably sells more of its whiskey strains here in the United States, each one offering something different. The SafSpirit M-1™️ strain is used to produce the most famous whiskies of Scotland, with favorable congeners suitable for barrel maturation. A Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. Diastaticus is used in all malt whiskies when enzyme additions are not allowed. SafSpirit D-53™️ is a flavorful strain that ferments a variety of grain substrates with consistent alcohol yields and it imparts a higher concentration of esters for fruitier whiskies and new-make spirits.
Also noteworthy, the SafSpirit USW-6™️, famous for performance and flavor characteristics for American bourbon whiskey fermentations. This strain has a notable, delicate congener profile well suited for maturation of bourbon and American single expression whiskies.
Another favorite is the SafSpirit C-70™️ for rums and other cane sugar spirits that are currently gaining in popularity—a robust multipurpose strain popular for fermenting all kinds of substrates with subtle congeners, used extensively in the Caribbean and Central America for producing good quality alcohol and rums from sugar, cane juice or molasses.
To answer your question in short, our favorites vary a bit by cultural differences in spirits tastes. Depending on what is mostly consumed in a specific region, the favorites change to reflect those tastes.
Are there any new or upcoming products you’re able to tell us about?
In the U.S., Fermentis now offers two selected strains for agave spirits as their latest additions to produce spirits. Both strains have been commercialized in Mexico for the production of tequila and mezcal and are considered references for this market. The SafTeq™️ Blue (the blue agave juice strain) presents a good tolerance for native agave toxins that make fermentation difficult. It produces many tequila styles, primarily tequila 100%. Resistant to high fermentation temperatures and good resistance to osmotic pressure. It generally is known to produce alcohols with neutral profiles. Fermentis also offers the SafTeq™️ Silver (the traditional strain used in Mexico). It offers good performance in juice-producing agave tequila and mezcal production, fermenting well in agave juice musts supplemented with non-agave sugars. It is a very robust strain with subtle congener production.
What can you tell us about the Fermentis Campus?
As you might have already heard, Fermentis has recently inaugurated the Fermentis Campus, a state-of-the-art facility near Lille, in the north of France. This campus not only serves as our global Fermentis headquarters but is also hosting the Fermentis Academy, which is an Applied Research and Education Center. Through Fermentis Academy, we explore and share the art of developing quality fermented beverages.
Is there anything else you’d want the craft distilling community to know about Fermentis?
Fermentis is a reliable resource for successful fermentations. If a distiller wants a clean, low-congener fermentation for neutral spirits, or if they are looking for more flavor-forward strains to help develop interesting white spirits and well matured barreled spirits, Fermentis will have a solution. Fermentis selects yeast strains well suited for different fermentation conditions (temperature ranges, pH development, stressful conditions, nutritional balance), as well as those that can offer creation or omission of congener development. Reliable quality, stable shelf-life and dependability, ease of use and cost effectiveness, consistent performance … these are all values that Fermentis products promise.
