B’ZEOS is working to replace single-use plastic with natural and sustainable solutions. We caught up with Founder, Guy Maurice, and Technology Lead, Adriana Kyvik, to find out how they’re using seaweed to shake up the packaging industry.

Describe your company in a single sentence.
B’ZEOS develops innovative seaweed-based packaging solutions, which are home-compostable, bio-based as well as bio-digestible.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
The fact that we’re tackling such a big problem: plastic pollution. Around 275 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated each year and only 14% of that is currently recycled. 

What are you and your team working on at the moment?
We’re currently working on pilot scale production of a flexible film which is seaweed–based. We believe that seaweed is a great biomass source because it’s very efficient at sequestering carbon, it grows very quickly and doesn’t require fresh water or pesticides. We’re also busy working on other applications to extend our product portfolio, like using our formulation for paper coating applications.

What’s your company’s primary goal?
We want to replace petroleum-based plastics in applications where using home-compostable materials make sense. This might be food packaging or other types of protective packaging. We’re particularly targeting materials that end up in landfill or being incinerated – or where materials are contaminated by food or simply too small to be recycled. The main component of our materials are seaweed biopolymers, but we also add functional additives and plasticisers – all bio-based – to tailor the final material properties.

Tell us about one of your open innovation success stories.
We just finalized our second collaboration with fellow Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley member, Nestlé. We first partnered with them in 2019. Back then, we worked on adapting the formulation of an edible straw into flexible packaging. As part of this new collaboration, we’ve been working on optimizing the material properties and on pilot scale production. We’ve also been in touch with a number of other Swiss corporations. 

How do you support the Swiss ecosystem beyond your core business offer?
We’ve been helping to connect stakeholders in the field across different entities, and sometimes even within the same organisation. While collaborating with Nestlé, we helped to connect people and departments working towards common goals within the company itself.

What support could the SFNV community offer to help you achieve your goals?
We’re really excited about strengthening our industry connections through our membership of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley. This will allow us to accelerate our business growth and amplify our network within Switzerland. 

Tell us something we don’t know about your company.
Our name often throws up questions! B’ZEOS is actually an acronym. B stands for bio-based, Z stands for zero waste, E stands for edible, O stands for marine origin and S stands for soluble. And if you’re wondering how to pronounce it, it’s: “Bee-ze-os!”

Find out more about the B’ZEOS team’s work on their website.

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The Agilery team wants to revolutionize food and beverage manufacturing. We sat down with co-founder Jonas Schneider to talk about collaborating to innovate – from vegan snacks to alcohol-free spirits.  

Describe your company in a single sentence.
Agilery aims to revolutionize food and beverage manufacturing and support innovation by enabling brands to access the co-manufacturers and suppliers they need to grow.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Two things. Being exposed to the most exciting new food products and concepts through the various clients we work with. And then seeing these new products hit supermarket shelves or hearing about their success just a few months down the line. It’s really rewarding to know that we’ve played a part in supporting these teams to bring their ideas to life.

What are you and your team working on at the moment?
Almost every product you can think of! We currently have a portfolio of 15 new products, ranging from innovative drinks and vegan snacks to delicious sauces and even ice cream. We also want to be able to offer our support at a larger scale to create a more innovative and transparent food network. To achieve this, we’re developing a new platform that we’d like to become the central database of the European food ecosystem!

Tell us about one of your open innovation success stories.
The startup Rebels 0.0% – another SFNV member – is actually one of our favorite success stories. It all started with an entrepreneur, Christof Tremp, who had a very clear vision: he wanted to create the first Swiss-made alcohol-free spirits. But that wasn’t all. He wanted them to be a truly local drink and – of course – a step ahead of all the other products already on the market. We supported him to develop an entire product range and set up a tailor-made manufacturing solution, leveraging the best local processing technologies and flexible manufacturing options. Less than a year after creating their first batch, Rebels’ spirits are now IWSC award winners and stocked in a rapidly growing number of locations across Switzerland. We’re proud to provide them with ongoing support as they grow. This project is a perfect example of what can be achieved when the right people and companies come together – and the huge potential of the Swiss ecosystem. 

What support could the SFNV community offer to help you achieve your goals?
We actually hope to be able to help the SFNV community – from entrepreneurs to leading food and beverage companies – with their operations. We can help SFNV members navigate the world of small-scale manufacturing and bring transparency to this complex sector. We’ve made it our mission to make sure that any product innovation with the right potential gets the support it needs to succeed!

How do you support the Swiss ecosystem in your work?
The world of food manufacturing lacks transparency and is way too old-school. It’s difficult to navigate and doesn’t give companies the flexibility they need to keep up with the current pace of innovation. We’re therefore eager to support any initiative trying to tackle this issue. We can only innovate and achieve sustainability targets by working together. That’s why SFNV’s mission is essential.

Let us in on something we don’t know about your company.
Our office is a former bakery and coffee roastery! In fact, the whole building, DasProvisorium, is home to countless food start-ups, food producers, caterers and entrepreneurs. It’s a great place to find inspiration, collaborate and, of course, eat! 

Interested in finding out more? Jonas and the team would love to hear from you at hello@agilery.ch.

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