Nederlandsche Gist-en Spiritusfabriek

Nederlandsche Gist-en Spiritusfabriek (NG&SF), established in 1869 by Jacques van Marken in Delft, was a foundational entity in the global biotechnology and fermentation industries. Originally a producer of yeast and spirits, the company gained international prominence for its secret development of penicillin (under the code name Bacinol) during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. Following the war, it became one of the world's largest manufacturers of penicillin and other essential antibiotics. In 1967, the company merged with Brocades-Stheeman & Pharmacia to form Gist-brocades, significantly expanding its pharmaceutical footprint. Gist-brocades was eventually acquired by the Dutch multinational DSM in 1998 for approximately $1.3 billion. Today, the legacy of NG&SF persists within dsm-firmenich, particularly in the production of anti-infectives and food enzymes.