Empco specializes in the culture of marine and freshwater microalgae. The Bioluminescent Microbial Collection (BMC) is a public inventory of high purity bioluminescent microorganisms offered through the Empco brand. BMC products are used for education and research by a global spectrum of clientele, including universities, K-12 schools, public and private laboratories, naval research institutes, public science centers and aquaria, and individual hobbyists and students.

Facilities of the BMC include a microorganism culture laboratory, equipped with temperature and light controlled incubators, autoclave and radiation sterilizers, seawater processing equipment, compound and dissecting microscopes, and a laminar flow work area. Empco's chief algal biologist has received extensive education in the field of algal culture, having completed training at the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Culture of Marine Phytoplankton.

The BMC, acting as a subsidiary of Michigan-based Empco Holdings LLC, emerged in California's San Francisco Bay Area in 2008 as the leading vendor of bioluminescent microorganisms for education and research.