Chinova Bioworks

Based in Canada, Chinova Bioworks upcycles mushroom waste into natural preservatives. As of October 2024, the company aims to reduce food waste throughout the farm-to-fork cycle by upcycling food waste into a preservative ingredient called “Chiber,” which will also help in keeping food longer. According to the company, 2.2 lbs of Chiber will help in reducing emissions equivalent to around 69.8 lbs. The company also reports that its Chiber product has helped extend shelf life by 2-3 weeks for selected plant-based dairy products.

Within five years of establishment, Chinova states that it has been able to receive regulatory approval for its products in North America, secured patents for its brand, and has launched five types of its Chiber product.  As of October 2024, the company reported that it was mainly working with plant-based brands that are available in over 1,000 retail stores. 

In September 2021, the company announced that it planned to launch Chiber for use in alcoholic beverages and was testing the product with beer manufacturers. As of October 2024, Chinova had launched its Chiber-based flavored water, energy drinks, juices, concentrates, and non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. 

To scale production of Chiber, in May 2021, the company reported that it was building a 20,000 square foot ‘Bioscience Manufacturing Incubator’ facility and a 6,000 square foot R&D and office space. The facility was operational in September 2022. 

Key customers and partnerships

In September 2022, Chinova Bioworks partnered with not-for-profit organization PEI BioAlliance and bioscience company Royal DSM to expand into a new pilot production facility that would allow it to upcycle mushroom waste into a commercially sustainable preservation ingredient to reduce food waste.

In June 2024, Chinova collaborated with the New Zealand ingredient supplier Hawkins Watts to distribute its Chiber mushroom extract in food and beverage markets across Australia and New Zealand.