Calgary-based Botaneco™ Inc. is the first to receive co-investment from Protein Industries Canada

Protein Industries Canada has announced that Calgary-based Botaneco Inc. is the first company to receive co-investment from the industry-led consortia that’s co-investing in Canadian innovation projects.

A total of $8 million, comprised of $4 million of co-investment from Protein Industries Canada and $4 million from industry, will be invested into the project over the next two years.

Botaneco is based on commercializing an innovative oilseed processing technology platform that isolates highly functional natural ingredients from oilseeds for the food, feed, and personal care markets. James Szarko, president and CEO for Botaneco, and David Dzisiak, chief operating officer for Botaneco, believe that this new funding from Protein Industries Canada will accelerate the company’s innovation strategy.

“This funding enables Botaneco to expand our abilities in processing research, food, and feed application innovations as well as market development,” said Dzisiak. “This is a great opportunity to create new value and economic benefits for Canadian agriculture.”

As a branch of the Innovation Superclusters Initiative, created by the Government of Canada, Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five innovation superclusters selected to energize the economy and become an engine of growth. Created to position Canada as a global source of high-quality plant protein and plant-based co-products, Protein Industries Canada works with private sector industry partners to create co-investment projects that have the potential to transform the agriculture and food production sector.

To help meet the increasing global demand for protein, the pan-prairie initiative will use advanced plant science, digital information tools, and novel processing technology, like the technology developed by Botaneco, to produce higher value proteins and co-products from key Canadian crops such as pulses, hemp and canola.

Through Botaneco’s proprietary, novel separation and purification techniques the components of the seed are isolated, resulting in the recovery of high quality oleosomes and proteins in their natural state. This process provides an opportunity for a high value space to be created adjacent to the existing oilseed processing industry, in areas they have historically had limited participation in.