Australia’s Cauldron Ferm announces that the Queensland Government, through its Industry Partnership Program (IPP), will support the development of the ‘Cauldron Bio-fab’, a precision fermentation facility in Mackay.
The facility will be the first and largest end-to-end contract manufacturer for bioproducts in Asia-Pacific, with a projected annual output of over 1,000 tons. It will deploy Cauldron’s hyper-fermentation technology for cost-effective and resource-efficient production of alternative proteins and widely used petrochemicals for multiple sectors.
Co-founder and CEO Michele Stansfield shares, “We are honored to be receiving support from the Queensland Government to develop our first industrial-scale operations in Mackay. This funding enables us to scale our innovative technology as a major milestone in our journey to redefine the scope of biomanufacturing.”
Reaching price parity
Cauldron aims to build a global network of cost-effective industrial facilities featuring its technology to solve the commercially viable biomanufacturing capacity gap. In March, Cauldron raised over $6.25 million with investors including SOSV, In-Q-Tel, Main Sequence, and Horizons Ventures, bringing its total raised funds to $20 million.
According to the firm, its continuous fermentation process — validated with multiple organisms, including yeasts, and proven at a 10,000 L demo scale — enables higher-volume production at lower costs using smaller bioreactors. This improvement significantly reduces production costs, allowing goods to reach price parity with established commodities.
The Mackay facility is the first planned industrial site, expanding from the current 25,000-litre demonstration facility in New South Wales, an ambitious goal under the direction of CTO David Weiner.
Supporting biomanufacturing
The Queensland Government’s backing follows recently announced funding from the Federal Executive Government of Australia to expand Cauldron’s existing demo facility in New South Wales.
As stated in the announcement, establishing a large biomanufacturing facility aligns with Queensland’s new-industry development strategy and its commitment to support Australia in becoming a global leader in the “biofutures” sector. Biomanufacturing is expected to strengthen national resilience by improving food security, meeting decarbonization targets, developing new domestic supply chains, and creating jobs.
According to the science research agency CSIRO, precision-fermented ingredients could boost Australia’s protein production, contributing to AUD 13 billion in economic opportunity. Additionally, biomanufacturing could help meet the anticipated domestic and export demand for 8.5 million tons of protein products by 2030.
Concurrently, the non-profit Cellular Agriculture Australia has released a new white paper highlighting the country’s potential to become a global leader. The paper also urged government support and investments in pilot and commercial-scale facilities. It seems that the Australian government is right on track.
Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace shares, “With the support of the Queensland Government, Cauldron is a step closer towards building a first-of-a-kind facility that will produce ingredients used in fiber, fuel, feed, and food products at commercial scale.”
