You probably saw the press release about Mazza Innovation’s recent $3-million financing raise. NPC was very proud to be one of the investors in this latest round. In our view, Mazza is a great example of the power of Canada’s natural product commercialization ecosystem to help companies succeed in research, development and commercialization (RD&C). Here’s why.

• Exceptional Research – Mazza Innovation applies an extraction technology developed within the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research labs in British Columbia. Dr. Joe Mazza, then a research leader at the AAFC, saw the potential of this extraction process. While botanicals like blueberries contain healthy elements like polyphenols and other bioactive compounds, previous methods of extracting those compounds used chemical solvents to make the extraction. Joe and his colleagues’ research developed an environmentally friendly advanced extraction process that uses only pressurized hot water, eliminating the need for industrial solvents.
• Federal Support for Innovation – The RD&C process can be costly and time-consuming. Fortunately, the federal and provincial governments provide strategic financial support through a variety of programs along the way. In the case of Mazza Innovation, the Canadian government provided support at numerous points along the way, including the Growing Forward Two funding program.
• A Connected and Collaborative Network – Mazza also benefitted from Canada’s ecosystem of investors, researchers, scale-up and marketing experts, and their many connections to resources, clients and expertise both in and beyond Canada’s borders. In fact, Mazza’s client base is heavily weighted to international companies who are impressed with this innovative made-in-Canada solution.

We think Mazza Innovation is destined for great things. Hopefully, its success draws attention to the many other talented Canadian companies ready to burst onto the world stage of natural products.