Lactic acid bacteria display a relatively simple metabolism wherein the sugar is converted mainly to lactic acid. The extensive knowledge of metabolic pathways and the increasing information of the genes involved allows for the rerouting of natural metabolic pathways by genetic and physiological engineering. In this contribution, the lactic acid bacteria as an efficient cell factory for different (food) ingredients will be presented. The emphasis will be on some successful examples of metabolic engineering and on the physiology of these bacteria, which makes them so suitable as a cell factory.