The Chilean technology-based SME Bioprotegens Innovations will build a production plant for bioproducts for agriculture in Ñuble, unique in Chile, as revealed by its general manager, Yessenia Vega, on Radio La Discusión.
The agricultural engineer graduated from the University of Concepción, specified that the company that develops products and services for plant health, was born in 2020 under the wing of the university, as a company formed by Vega; by her former professor, the UdeC Agronomy phytopathologist, Dr. Ernesto Moya; and the UdeC Campus Chillán Law academic, Vanessa Elizondo.
“We are the first university technology-based company (EBTU) born at the University of Concepción and also the first in the Ñuble region,” highlighted the professional, who summarized that “we are specialists in plant health in crops and fruit trees; leading the development of health-promoting microorganisms in plants, similar to probiotics for humans, as stimulation of plants through the use of bacteria.”
He recalled that the research group has been working for 12 years, quite cohesive, “and in permanent dialogue with the private sector, developing or helping to develop products. In that context, we always had research, apart from what we provided as a service, and we transferred one of those technologies to a large bioinputs company in Chile and we realized that the return was quite low.” That led them to form their own company that not only developed the technology, but also took charge of product development and marketing.
“We realized that there was a lot of need in the agricultural area and that companies were not satisfying certain markets, because Chile is a super small agricultural market, especially for companies that sell products, so Chilean problems are not an issue for us. they; Companies, in general, do not develop here,” added Vega.
Although Bioprotegens Innovations can address solutions for all areas, its current focus is on hazelnuts and cherry trees, as well as walnuts and berries.
“Initially we only relied on bacteria production and the main products to be produced are MaxGrowth and MaxSoil, both agricultural biostimulants. But, in addition, we are going to sell and distribute Bioharz (which is based on a fungus) which is produced by a supplier in Concepción, and we are distributing a product based on algae (Quelboost),” he added.
High standard facilities
Precisely, the company is experiencing a stage of growth, since this year it will abandon the facilities of the Chillán campus of the UdeC to move to a new plant that will be built in the Puente Ñuble sector, commune of San Nicolás, which will represent an investment close to 1 a million dollars.
“We are going to build a laboratory in Ñuble, which is going to be important because the investment is super high for the region. So we are marking a milestone with a bioproducts plant, which there is in Chile, but not of the category of this one, the one we designed with people who make vaccines for humans, so the quality standards are very high.”
He explained that the 200 square meter facility, whose construction will begin next September, includes the biomass plant, the packaging unit, warehouses, offices and the research laboratory. “The idea is to be a company that develops, packages, sells and distributes products,” he emphasized.
He commented that, currently, the University only stores the products. “We have a supplier in Concepción, with whom we will continue working on the mushroom-based part of our product. And the idea is to implement the bacteria packaging and production plant in Ñuble, since we currently work with microorganisms that are a little more complex than those found on the market. So the production challenge is higher, and some of our new partners are going to complement us with their ‘know how’ in the production of bacteria.”
According to Vega, this growth was achieved thanks to the entry of new capital, with the incorporation of two partners (one of them from Ñuble), who are not only providing resources, but also the know-how necessary for this new stage, so they will also join the executive staff.
Although the majority of its clients are in Maule, the company is planning its expansion in other regions, as well as internationally. “We already did a survey in Peru last year, one of our products is patented in Mexico as well, so we are also viewing that as part of internationalization,” the entrepreneur concluded.
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