Foremost Farms and Ginkgo Partner to Upcycle Products
Foremost Farms USA, a leading producer of dairy products, has joined forces with Ginkgo Bioworks, a pioneer in cell programming and biosecurity platform development.
Together, they are unveiling a collaborative effort to harness the power of biotechnology for the advancement of sustainable, domestic biomanufacturing. Their collective goal is to convert dairy co-products into valuable materials, fostering positive impacts on the environment, family farms, and the dairy industry at large.
Transforming Dairy Co-products into High-Value Resources
In this strategic alliance, Foremost Farms will tap into Ginkgo's expertise in bioproduction services to pioneer a groundbreaking technology aimed at upcycling billions of pounds of dairy co-products annually.
Ginkgo was selected as the preferred partner due to its proficiency in metabolic engineering and analytical capabilities, allowing the optimisation of strains for challenging environmental conditions while mitigating common toxicity issues.
Mitigating the Carbon Footprint of the Dairy Industry
The contemporary dairy industry grapples with the production of low-value co-products, contributing significantly to its overall carbon footprint. Ginkgo endeavours to assist Foremost in developing a technology that not only upcycles these low-value co-products but also serves as an eco-friendly alternative to the wasteful and carbon-intensive methods employed in chemical production. The vision is to establish domestic, sustainable biomanufacturing solutions.
Greg Schlafer, President and CEO of Foremost Farms, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, citing Ginkgo's unique capabilities in propelling Foremost's objectives. By leveraging Ginkgo's platform, Foremost anticipates a faster transition from conceptualisation to commercialisation, gaining a competitive edge.
Schlafer emphasised Foremost's commitment to innovation as environmental stewards, aiming to benefit dairy farm families by potentially reducing manufacturing costs and creating a substantial new revenue stream.
Jennifer Wipf, Ginkgo's Head of Commercial, Cell Engineering, emphasised the company's dedication to utilising biology for sustainable product development.
She highlighted Ginkgo's keen interest in assisting legacy industries in enhancing production processes and embracing a more circular economy. Wipf expressed eagerness to deploy Ginkgo's advanced metabolic engineering capabilities to support Foremost Farms in their pursuit of sustainable biomanufacturing.
Declan Roche, Chief Commercial Officer at Foremost Farms, underscored the unique position the collaboration provides, as Ginkgo's flexible R&D services enable a creative approach to this significant opportunity in the value chain. Roche emphasised that, with Ginkgo, Foremost can pursue this exciting venture, minimising internal R&D fixed costs and allowing their team to remain focused on their core business.
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Source: Foremost Farms
