NutraCast: Bioharvest Sciences on replicating plant cells and meeting demand amid war
It’s no secret that plants offer a vast source of bioactives that can improve human health, however, many potential therapeutics are produced in small amounts or in species that are difficult to cultivate. To overcome these challenges, Bioharvest Sciences has developed a platform that isolates and replicates the most beneficial cells of over 500,000 plants.
The platform technology, patented and trademarked as Bio-Plant Cellicitation, is capable of economically producing consistent botanical compositions to improve human health and wellness.
On the DTC side, Bioharvest offers Vinia, its first product, which is based on red grape cells and is a full spectrum polyphenolic composition, including an elicited concentration of Piceid Resveratrol.
In response to high demand, Bioharvest also recently launched its Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) business unit for mass-market consumer brands. This side of the business lends Bioharvest’s proprietary Botanical Synthesis process technology to the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and nutrition sectors.
As the Tel Aviv-based company dramatically scales, business is thriving in every sense of the word, but behind the scenes, sirens are ringing and missiles are dropping as the Gaza war takes a toll on the region.
"It hasn't been easy, but we've done it because we're just maniacally focused on what we're doing," said Ilan Sobel, CEO at Bioharvest. "We have a relentless commitment serving leadership to our customer base, and we believe in what we do. As a result, there were times when we were working in the factory, and you would have sirens going and we knew that there were missiles on their way, and we'd be running into bomb shelters and waiting 10 to 15 minutes until it was safe and then we'd be back on the factory floor.
“At the end of the day, we have a job to do, we have customers that we have to deliver our commitments to, and I'm really proud of the team on how we've navigated through a very challenging situation to be able to scale our business and deliver our commitments to our customers at the same.”
To hear what customer support means to the company, how Sobel went from an investor to CEO, and more details on the technology that powers the platform, listen to the NutraCast.
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