In an industry increasingly shaped by consumer demand for clean, plant-based ingredients, Fiberstar has emerged as a global leader. Headquartered in River Falls, Wisconsin, the privately held biotechnology company produces natural citrus fiber and other plant‑based ingredient solutions designed to improve quality, nutrition, and sustainability across food, personal care, and industrial markets. Their flagship product, Citri‑Fi, is manufactured in both Wisconsin and Florida and distributed into more than sixty-nine countries.
At the heart of Fiberstar’s innovation journey is Brock Lundberg Ph. D., Chief Science Officer, one of the company’s earliest team members and a driving force behind its research and development. His reflections reveal a story defined not only by technological breakthroughs, but by strategic partnerships, entrepreneurial grit, and ongoing collaboration with Wisconsin’s innovation ecosystem.
“Our company creates clean labeled natural food and beverage ingredients to replace chemicals currently found in food,” Lundberg explains. Their process uses sustainable raw materials that are abundant in supply and avoids chemical modification altogether.
A major focus of Fiberstar’s innovation is developing natural alternatives to common emulsifiers, ingredients that often come from geopolitically unstable regions or rely heavily on chemical modification. “Examples would be a modified food starch or acacia gum,” Lundberg says. “We replace [them] with basically a citrus fiber.”
This shift toward natural replacements is a defining feature of Fiberstar’s patented processes, which produce fibers with exceptionally high surface area, strong water‑holding capacity, and high emulsification performance. These natural functional benefits allow Citri‑Fi to replace fats, oils, eggs, gums, and starches, supporting cleaner labels, better nutrition, and cost savings for manufacturers.
Fiberstar’s growth has been supported by the State of Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial and research programs. Lundberg emphasized how catalytic the Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) and the SBIR Advance program have been in accelerating their work.
Lundberg explained that CTC’s programs increased their proposal success. The micro-grant supported professional grant writing, while SBIR Advance funding strengthened their commercialization efforts, supporting customer sampling, prototyping, applications work, and intellectual property development.
But the relationship goes back even further. Before WEDC existed, Lundberg notes that the Department of Commerce provided early funding that helped the company establish operations in western Wisconsin. “That’s how we got started,” he says. “It’s actually been very helpful and it’s partly what makes it possible for me to be here.”
Fiberstar also tapped additional Wisconsin entrepreneurial programs, including revolving loan funds from Spooner and Eau Claire, as well as early‑2000s community development loans that helped the young company launch.
When asked about the most meaningful milestones in Fiberstar’s journey, Lundberg points to one powerful theme: validation. Not just scientific validation, but commercial validation from some of the world’s largest food and beverage companies.
“The biggest thing I feel good about is getting the validation from the multinational companies about the new projects we’re developing,” he shares. Securing feedback from major customers, and hearing that the products worked from their perspective, was “one of the biggest achievements.”
He recalls the uncertainty tied to scaling up a new ingredient from lab concept to commercial reality. “With the SBIR grant, it was like another roll of the dice,” he says. “Not knowing if we’re going to be able to produce it.” That risk paid off when a major multinational company validated the product.
His pride is shaped by the company’s early leap of faith. “We got $5,000,000 from a USDA guaranteed loan to build a plant without a customer,” he recalls. After two years with no revenue, the payoff finally came when sales began to ramp up: “It’s unbelievable to get actual sales revenue from the new products and then we’ve grown to be multi-million revenue.”
Looking ahead three to five years, Lundberg envisions full-scale commercialization of Fiberstar’s newest innovations. Achieving that goal will involve seeking investment or a strategic partner while continuing to expand the company’s technology into new raw materials beyond citrus.
“There’s a lot of other raw materials that could provide another functional property or ingredient,” he explains. He is actively partnering with the USDA and university labs to explore new applications and identify concepts suitable for future SBIR proposals.
Despite his long entrepreneurial journey, Lundberg still identifies most strongly as an engineer and R&D leader. His adaptability, especially through the company’s leadership transitions, has fueled his ability to “survive and flourish” through decades of change. And what continues to motivate him is simple: “I’m in R&D and I want to develop something new now.”
He acknowledges that funding for research and development is always a challenge. “It’s hard to get R&D funds,” he says. “That’s why the SBIR program has been a lifesaver for us.”
Today, Fiberstar stands as a pioneer in citrus fiber technology, with twenty-seven issued patents, fifteen pending, and a global presence strengthened by more than fifty-nine distributors. Their products support sectors ranging from bakery, dairy, and plant‑based meats to personal care and industrial applications.
The company’s commitment to sustainability is embedded throughout its operations: upcycling citrus byproducts, minimizing water use, preserving nutritional value, and enabling cleaner ingredient labels. With certifications including FSSC 22000, Kosher, Halal, and Non‑GMO Project Verified, Fiberstar continues to set lofty standards for quality and environmental responsibility.
From its Wisconsin roots, the company has grown into one of the most influential natural ingredient suppliers in the world, proving that innovation, persistence, and the right partnerships can turn a novel idea into a global impact.