Tetra Pak has acquired Latvian bioreactor specialist Bioreactors.net in a move set to advance alternative food production capabilities for Australian manufacturers.
The acquisition brings nearly 30 years of bioreactor expertise to Tetra Pak’s technology portfolio, providing Australian food producers with advanced systems to create products from plant-based sources like soybeans and oats, as well as dairy by-products.
Biotechnology is emerging as a critical solution to two major global challenges: climate change and food security.
Fermentation and bioprocessing – techniques that use microorganisms to transform raw ingredients into new food products – can create protein-rich foods with smaller environmental footprints.
“By embracing the capabilities of Bioreactors.net, Tetra Pak is placed at the forefront of fermentation and new foods capabilities in the Oceania region,” says Blair Jordan, Processing Director, Tetra Pak Oceania. “The emerging science offers strategic solutions to regional food security and sustainability.”
Jordan also notes that these innovations provide Australian manufacturers with practical sustainability options.
“Under the current political discussion of climate goals, food systems and innovative processes can offer Australian industry another avenue towards more sustainable systems. For Australia, applying global learnings will be transformative.”
Founded in 1996, Bioreactors.net delivers precision fermentation solutions that can produce a variety of proteins and food products. The company works with businesses of all sizes, supporting early-stage laboratories to industrial-scale manufacturing operations.
Approximately 15 employees will join Tetra Pak as part of the deal.
“Our decades of expertise in bioreactors, paired with Tetra Pak’s existing portfolio, global reach and resources, will accelerate the delivery of world-class fermentation solutions to customers around the globe,” says Janis Misins-Jubels, head of manufacturing at Bioreactors.net.
This acquisition builds on Tetra Pak’s ongoing investments in alternative food technology, including the recent launch of the Tetra Pak New Food Technology Development Centre in Karlshamn, Sweden, and the Biotech Heights innovation hub in Lund, Sweden, created in partnership with Lund University in 2023.
