Natural Products Canada invests in creator of natural preservative, Chinova Bioworks

August 9, 2018

Natural Products Canada has invested in Chinova Bioworks, a Canadian company whose innovative mushroom-based natural preservative has captured the interest of major food industry partners such as DSM Ventures, Rhapsody and AgFunder.

“Chinova has discovered a unique solution to create a clean label, natural preservative that meets the demands of industry and consumers,” says Shelley King, CEO of Natural Products Canada, which fosters Canadian natural product companies through advice, introductions, and investment. “We are thrilled with the progress they’ve made since we started working with them 18 months ago, and we’re proud to participate in this investment round with DSM Ventures, AgFunder and Rhapsody.”

Chinova, based in Atlantic Canada, is focused on the development of natural preservatives using mushroom chitosan, a natural fiber whose antimicrobial properties are effective against a broad spectrum of microorganisms.

“We are pleased to have NPC as a part of this seed round,” says CEO, Natasha Dhayagude. “The valuable business, technical and financial assistance we’ve received from them has been instrumental to our early success in the market.”

Chinova’s innovative technology, coupled with their ambitious plans for growth, made them an ideal client for NPC’s full range of services, including business and technical advisory services, connections to industry resources, and access to capital.

“It’s been a pleasure to help Chinova navigate the ecosystem and grow their business to the point where it was able to attract such high calibre investors,” says Stephen Ball, Regional Director for Natural Products Canada. “Their scientific acumen, desire to grow, and ability to attract and retain strategic industry mentors puts them in good standing for future growth.”

NPC started its investment fund in 2017 to help Canadian natural product companies achieve their full commercialization potential. To date, it has made four investments and experienced one exit. Along with financial investment and business advice, NPC connects high-potential Canadian companies like Chinova to Canadian and international investors through personal introductions and strategic investor events and meetings.

Read AgFunder’s official press release.

For more info:

Sue Coueslan, VP Communications and Stakeholder Relations

[email protected]

Natasha Dhayagude, CEO

[email protected]

Natural Products Canada (NPC) is a not-for-profit organization with a vision to help Canada flourish as the Silicon Valley of natural products. It aims to align, expand and optimize the Canadian natural products ecosystem to accelerate the development of products and technology platforms that bring real value to real customers. NPC was established in 2016 and is funded by a range of public and private investors, including the Government of Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR) program, administered by the Networks of Centres of Excellence. Visit www.naturalproductscanada.com.

Chinova Bioworks is a Canadian company that addresses the growing consumer demand for healthy, natural, clean-label ingredients, while providing producers with an effective solution that ensures food safety, shelf life, and the overall quality of the product. The company has developed an innovative preservative based on an ingredient extracted from mushrooms called chitosan. This technology offers broad-spectrum protection against all types of microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, and mold), is easy to use, and has no organoleptic impact, all at a competitive price point.