An Alberta biotech company is celebrating a big milestone. The Ceapro new bio-processing extraction facility held its grand opening in Edmonton Wednesday.
It’s the first facility supported by the Alberta Innovates bio industrial program to reach full-scale commercial production. The program has provided the company with $2.4 million to develop its products.
“We are very pleased with our decision to locate in Alberta, and to establish our clean-technology bioprocessing centre here,” Ceapro CEO Gilles Gagnon said.
“This was based on several factors, including proximity to renewable feedstock, the highly qualified personnel here, and the excellent collaboration that we have had with government, the provincial innovation system and the University of Alberta.”
The local biotech company develops and manufactures active ingredients for the healthcare and cosmetic industries. The province said the products Ceapro produces contribute to a lower carbon footprint.
“This is exactly the type of economic diversification we want for our province: Alberta farmers providing an Alberta product to an Alberta enterprise, supported by Alberta research and innovation, to process oats and possibly other crops using innovative methods and technology developed right here in Alberta,” Premier Rachel Notley said.
The company said many of the products will be sold outside internationally, which will help grow and diversify Alberta’s economy and create new jobs.
The province said Alberta’s agriculture industry can also benefit from Ceapro’s move to the province because the oat variety it uses to develop its products can be grown in Alberta.