Climate biotech innovator Brevel, Ltd. signed a 50/50 joint-venture agreement with India-based conglomerate The Wave Group. The collaboration will open a full-production biomanufacturing facility, funded by The Wave Group, based on Brevel’s illuminated fermentation technology. The signing took place at an official ceremony in New Delhi attended by the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Israel and representatives of the Economic and Trade Mission of Israel, together with India government officials from Invest India.
The planned new manufacturing site in Uttar Pradesh, North India, represents a major scale-up from Brevel’s existing 5,000-liter capacity bioreactor in its current commercial facility in Israel. The new plant is designed to produce a total capacity of 300,000 liters to meet growing market demand for Brevel’s microalgae products, as well as to serve the needs of the emerging market of plant-cell culture. Construction will begin later this year, with full-scale production set to commence in 18 months. Total investment in the JV facility is estimated at $10-15 million.
The new plant will initially manufacture Purallis, a clean-label chlorella, significantly expanding Brevel’s production capacity. The plant is designed as a comprehensive illuminated-fermentation manufacturing platform and will be capable of producing additional products and organisms that benefit from light.
Brevel’s illuminated fermentation technology, protected by four patents, combines controlled fermentation with light in a closed system. By successfully taking fermentation out of the dark, Brevel created a platform for manufacturing bioactives that rely on light-driven metabolism for growth. Sugar provides the energy and nutrients needed for efficient fermentation, while light enables photosynthetic microorganisms such as chlorella to produce valuable compounds, including chlorophyll and carotenoids.
“We’re excited to partner with The Wave Group to bring illuminated fermentation to industrial scale,” enthuses Yonatan Golan, CEO and co-founder of Brevel. “This partnership marks a major step forward in our ability to serve global markets, opening new opportunities across microalgae, plant cell culture and beyond. Our work with partners such as Ayana Bio, a U.S. leader in plant cell technology, already demonstrates the broad potential of our platform. Together with The Wave Group, we can turn that potential into commercial-scale manufacturing.”
“This collaboration expands our portfolio of food processing and product innovation businesses,” declares Manpreet Singh Chadha, chairman of The Wave Group. “Brevel’s illuminated fermentation, combined with our deep expertise in sugar manufacturing, defines a new era in biomanufacturing. We look forward to playing a pioneering role in the future of food ingredients and nutraceuticals in a world of limited resources. This strategic alliance with Brevel also positions The Wave Group as an important production hub serving the global food and supplement markets.”
