Biomega Group has announced the expansion of its biorefining footprint by investing in a greenfield site in Hirtshals, Denmark.
The company uses a patented continuous enzymatic hydrolysis process to transform fresh salmon parts into food grade, hydrolysed salmon proteins and oils for the food and petfood, health and nutrition sectors.
The investment includes a site to expand production capacity and support the company’s plans to grow its salmon peptide business for the human health and nutrition market, set to launch in 2021. It will also facilitate continued growth of its Salmigo range, designed for premium petfood segments.
Stig Petersen, CEO at Biomega, said: “Hirtshals, Denmark, is an important gateway for salmon into Europe with local volumes growing substantially year-on-year. We are partnering with key local suppliers of high-quality fresh salmon parts. Biomega has received tremendous support from the local authorities, Hjørring municipality and Hirtshals Harbor administration for the development of the project.”
The company has four patents for its continuous biorefining process and has invested in research and development in sustainable nutrition and biorefining. The latest investment sees the company increasing its ability to upscale marine raw materials, with further geographic expansion already in planning.
Stig Petersen further commented: “Biomega has demonstrated significant growth in the past couple of years, and we have expanded our team considerably as a result. The opportunities for our salmon peptides and oils are extensive and, alongside our sales in the premium petfood segment, we can now focus on human nutrition. We are working with a number of customers to commercialise health and nutrition concepts supported by consumer market trends and we’re excited by the opportunity that Hirtshals brings to expand our business.”
Amerra Capital Management, which acquired Biomega in 2017, invested additional capital for the execution of this project alongside Natixis Investment Managers affiliated asset manager Mirova Natural Capital, and several members of the management team, including the original founders of Biomega.