Company building Richmond biomanufacturing plant rebrands
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A New York-based company with a biomanufacturing plant under construction in Richmond has changed its name in a move it says will better reflect the scope of the business.
Liberation Labs is now Liberation Bioindustries, the company said Monday. The new name and brand will better reflect the company as a commercial-scale contract biomanufacturer as it prepares to begin operations early next year at its first fermentation plant in Richmond’s Midwest Industrial Park.
“As we move from concept to completion, the ‘Labs’ part of Liberation Labs felt unnecessarily limiting, if not outright confusing,” founder and CEO Mark Warner said in a news release release. “After all, the world is full of amazing biotechnologies that are at lab scale – we’re building the next generation of industrial biomanufacturing facilities to bring those products to market.”
The company early last month announced the first customer at its Richmond plant, Dutch ingredients startup Vivici, Inside INdiana Business reported. The company’s dairy protein ViviteinBLG can be used in protein drinks, protein powders and vegan-friendly protein bars.
The $115 million precision fermentation biomanufacturing facility is expected to produce a range of bio-based materials, including food ingredients, chemicals and other industrial products. Precision fermentation combines the process of traditional fermentation with advances in biotechnology to produce proteins without the need for animals.
The new name and brand aims to evoke a company operating at scale and supporting multiple industries, the news release said.
Initially announced in January 2023, the Richmond plant is expected to add 45 jobs.
Plans for a second precision fermentation facility — this one in Saudi Arabia — are underway.