Ideelab Achieves Cdmo Status With New Industrial-scale Facility For Ag Biological Production

IdeeLab, a b2b startup that supports other companies in the development of new biologicals products, has unveiled a new industrial-scale manufacturing facility in Brazil. The increased capacity—from pilot scale to 1 million liters annually—means that IdeeLab can officially call itself a full-service contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and assist customers at any stage along the path to market.

The CDMO concept lets companies outsource much of the drug/solution development and manufacturing processes. Because CDMOs already have things like production infrastructure (e.g., fermentation tanks), expertise, and familiarity with regulatory requirements, using one can cut significant time and cost.

CDMOs are best known in the pharma world, but the last few years have seen ag-focused biotech companies adopt the idea, too. (See Australian startup Cauldron and US-based Solis Agrosciences, both of which borrow from the CDMO concept in their businesses.)

As a CDMO, IdeeLab will offer end-to-end services for biotech companies, with a particular focus on ag biologicals such as biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biocontrol agents. The new facility can produce microorganisms, metabolites, recombinant proteins and peptides, and RNAi-based products.

IdeeLab founder and CEO Ronaldo Dalio calls it “bridging advanced science with industrial scale to accelerate the agricultural biologicals transition.”

‘A proven platform for high-quality product development and manufacturing’

“Brazil is emerging as a global hub for agro-biological innovation, backed by world-class science and development infrastructure,”  Gustavo Mamao, IdeeLab’s Head of International Business Development, tells AgFunderNews.

He adds that IdeeLab can “offer international and local partners a proven platform for high-quality product development and manufacturing to accelerate their success in the Brazilian market.”

Brazil is a major leader when it comes to biologicals adoption, thanks in no small part to a friendly regulatory environment for startups. According to McKinsey & Company, 64% of farmers in Brazil are using biostimulants or biofertilizers, while 61% have adopted biocontrol products. This is more than double the number of farmers using such products in the US or Europe.

However, access to facilities and expertise in the country can sometimes lag, hence IdeeLab’s push to become a full-stack CDMO for companies.

“We know it can take a long time to go from an idea to having a product in the hands of growers. IdeeLab is really providing the infrastructure to these companies so they don’t have to go out and find everything themselves,” notes Mamao.

Companies can begin work with IdeeLab wherever in the process makes most sense to their business, be that with bioprospecting at the beginning or testing a product in the middle of the journey to commercialization.

One of IdeeLab’s differentiators is its exclusive microbial collection selected specifically for the biologicals market, and for tropical pests and diseases.

The company has also chosen a strategic location for its manufacturing facility, in the city of Piracicaba (near São Paulo), where it is currently headquartered and also home to roughly 40% of Brazil’s agrifoodtech startups.

The new facility will produce microorganisms, metabolites, recombinant proteins and peptides, and RNAi-based products for biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biocontrol agents. According to Mamao, IdeeLab plans to continue boosting capacity at the new facility, with a goal of reaching 6 million liters annually by 2027.

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