Purpose in Practice Series
Throughout 2026, we’ll be showcasing a selection of Triple Bottom Line Accounting’s purpose-driven business and social enterprise clients. This series embodies our company’s purpose – a living statement we continue to refine through ongoing team dialogue: “to transform accountancy from opaque compliance into collaborative partnership – empowering purpose-driven SMEs with financial capability and reshaping the profession itself, so that investing in people, planet, and lasting impact becomes the norm.”
PfBIO: Sifting Nature for Agricultural Allies
We’re proud to support PfBIO, an early-stage agritech company developing biosolutions as sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical products. Operating in a research-led and highly regulated environment, PfBIO combines innovation with a strong focus on growth, funding, and investment. Based at Norwich Research Park, they represent a new generation of purpose-driven startups working to transform their industry from within.
A Mission Rooted in Sustainable Agriculture
PfBIO’s mission is clear: advancing biological solutions to promote sustainable agriculture, foster eco-friendly practices and ensure global food security, whilst mitigating crop threats and preserving the environment. Through their proprietary BioSIFT platform, they rapidly identify the most effective naturally occurring bacterial strains that can protect crops from major agricultural diseases and promote plant health.
As CEO Dr Rosaria Campilongo puts it: “With our innovation, we are supporting the coexistence of nature and sustainable food production. We are proud and excited to be facilitating this agricultural transition.”
This commitment to facilitating systemic change – moving agriculture away from synthetic chemicals towards biological solutions – mirrors our own mission to transform accountancy from compliance-focused to purpose-driven. Both organisations believe that meaningful change requires rethinking fundamental business practices, not just making incremental improvements to the status quo.
Supporting Innovation from Day One
PfBIO chose to work with Triple Bottom Line Accounting from their earliest days as a company. This wasn’t simply about finding technical accounting support – it was about establishing strong foundations with a partner who understood the unique challenges of early-stage, research-led businesses operating in highly regulated environments.
As a spin-out from the John Innes Centre, PfBIO needed financial support that could navigate the complexity of grant applications, R&D tax relief, investment discussions, and regulatory compliance, whilst allowing their small team to focus on the groundbreaking research that defines their purpose.
What TBLA Has Done for PfBIO
Our comprehensive support has included:
- Managing all core financial operations including payroll, VAT, and tax, ensuring full compliance and reducing administrative pressure on a very small team
- Providing responsive, hands-on support for HR, agreements, investment discussions, and share allocation, offering clarity during complex and time-sensitive decisions
- Supporting growth through grant audits, grant applications, R&D tax relief, and by identifying financial opportunities that contributed directly to PfBIO’s progress
CEO Rosaria Campilongo on How This Has Helped PfBIO
Focus and Efficiency: With TBLA handling the financial complexity behind the scenes, the PfBIO team has been able to concentrate on research, development, and day-to-day operations without being distracted by administrative pressures.
Clarity at Critical Moments: TBLA’s timely and practical guidance has supported informed decision-making during key stages of the business, particularly when navigating agreements, investment discussions, and structural choices.
Stronger Position for Funding: Robust financial oversight and clear reporting have improved PfBIO’s readiness for grants, funding opportunities, and innovation incentives, supporting continued development.
A Trusted Long-Term Partner: Having worked with PfBIO from the very beginning, TBLA brings continuity, responsiveness, and a deep understanding of the business, providing reassurance as the company grows and evolves.
When Purpose Meets Partnership
What makes this partnership particularly meaningful is the alignment in values and approach. PfBIO is developing biological solutions that work in harmony with nature rather than against it. They’re committed to working hand-in-hand with growers to ensure their solutions are effective and tailored to specific needs. This collaborative, ecosystem-based thinking reflects precisely the kind of values-led business model we exist to support.
As an early-stage company, PfBIO’s commitment to making a positive impact on the agricultural sector and environment is woven into their business model from the outset. They’re proving that purpose and innovation can drive commercial success, especially in sectors crying out for sustainable alternatives.
Building for Impact and Investment
PfBIO’s achievements demonstrate that purpose-driven businesses can attract serious investment whilst pursuing meaningful change. To date, they have:
- Secured approximately £100,000 in Innovate UK Launchpad funding – one of only seven companies in the East of England to receive this prestigious grant
- Developed their first commercial prototype plant-biostimulant product for the berry sector
- Grown their R&D team
- Established partnerships within the Norwich Research Park innovation ecosystem
- Created bioproducts tailored to specific crops and diseases as environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals
Throughout this journey, robust financial oversight has positioned PfBIO strongly for funding opportunities and innovation incentives – not through box-ticking compliance, but by building foundations that enable a purpose-driven company to scale their impact.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Both PfBIO and Triple Bottom Line Accounting are working to transform established industries. PfBIO is challenging the agricultural sector’s reliance on synthetic chemicals by demonstrating that biological solutions can be more effective, sustainable, and kind to the environment. We’re challenging the accountancy profession’s traditional focus on compliance by showing that financial services can be a collaborative partnership that empowers purpose-driven businesses.
PfBIO’s tagline – “Sifting nature for agricultural allies” – captures something essential about their approach: they’re not trying to dominate or control natural systems, but to work with them intelligently. This philosophy of collaboration over control, of working hand-in-hand with natural processes and grower needs, resonates deeply with our approach to financial partnership.
Looking Ahead
As PfBIO continues to develop commercial products and scale their operations, we’re honoured to provide the financial support and strategic guidance that allows their team to focus on what they do best: developing innovative biosolutions that can help create a more sustainable agricultural future.
Their journey reinforces what we’ve always believed: that investing in people, planet and lasting impact isn’t just possible for established businesses – it’s the foundation upon which successful startups can be built.
About PfBIO
PfBIO is an early-stage agritech company developing biosolutions as sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical products. Operating in a research-led and highly regulated environment, PfBIO combines innovation with a strong focus on growth, funding, and investment.
If your organisation is ready to align its financial management with its values, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re an early-stage innovator, an established social enterprise, or anywhere in between, Triple Bottom Line Accounting is here to help purpose-driven SMEs thrive. Contact us here.
Learn more about PfBIO:
- Website: pfbio.co.uk
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/pfbio
Location: Norwich Research Park, Norwich
Fran leads TBLA’s sustainability services and HR function, delivering Net Zero Workshops, decarbonisation and ESG consultancy for SMEs and organisations. She develops and delivers sustainability education across multiple frameworks, notably as tutor for ESTU Global’s Sustainability Manager and Carbon Manager programmes, teaching sustainability managers and leaders from diverse corporate backgrounds. In her dual role at TBLA, she obtained B Corp certification and drives the company’s ongoing ESG momentum, while supporting TBLA’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility through practical sustainability solutions and a focus on inclusive team leadership through the company’s HR function.
