Cauldron Receives Queensland Government Support to Develop First-of-a-Kind Biomanufacturing Facility

2 October 2024, Orange, New South Wales – Cauldron Ferm, a next-generation biomanufacturer, is being supported by the Queensland Government through its Industry Partnership Program (IPP) to develop a cutting-edge precision fermentation contract manufacturing facility in Mackay. This Project aligns with the Queensland new-industry development strategy to develop industries that will be in demand as the world decarbonizes.

By complementing conventional industrial production methods, biomanufacturing can play an important role in strengthening national resilience. When implemented at an industrial scale, biomanufacturing holds untapped potential to improve food security, meet national decarbonization targets, develop new domestic supply chains, and create jobs through localized production.

The IPP supports plans to establish the Cauldron Bio-fab, a new industrial facility in Mackay that will be the first and largest end-to-end contract manufacturer for precision fermented bioproducts in the Asia-Pacific region. This industrial biomanufacturing site will deploy Cauldron’s novel hyper-fermentation technology, a breakthrough continuous fermentation process which significantly reduces costs. By driving down the cost of goods to achieve parity with conventional products, Cauldron’s proprietary platform holds transformative potential for the global bioeconomy across a variety of sectors.

“With the support of the Queensland Government, Cauldron is a step closer towards building a first-of-a-kind facility that will produce ingredients used in fibre, fuel, feed and food products at commercial scale,” said Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace.

The Cauldron Bio-fab in Mackay will have the manufacturing capacity to supply a range of sectors with cost-effective, resource-efficient bioproducts. With projected annual production of more than 1,000 tonnes, the facility will produce key inputs for the food, nutrition, materials, beauty, personal care, chemicals, and biofuels sectors. The Mackay Bio-fab is the first planned industrial facility for Cauldron, as the company expands production from their current 25,000-litre demo facility in New South Wales. Cauldron plans to develop a global network of industrial facilities in multiple geographies.

“We are honoured to be receiving support from the Queensland Government to develop our first industrial-scale operations in Mackay,” said Michele Stansfield, Co-Founder and CEO of Cauldron. “This funding enables us to scale our innovative technology as a major milestone in our journey to redefine the scope of biomanufacturing. We look forward to developing the critical infrastructure to produce essential bioproducts more efficiently and sustainably to meet growing demand.”

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