Natural Products Canada announces investee success
July 12, 2018
Natural Products Canada
Mazza Innovation acquired by Sensient Technologies
Natural Products Canada (NPC) is pleased to announce its first exit from an investment. Mazza Innovation, a company with an advanced technology for extracting valuable compounds from plant material such as blueberries, has been acquired by Sensient Technologies, a global flavours, colours and fragrances company.
“We are delighted to share in the success of Mazza’s acquisition and congratulate them on the tremendous value they have created in their business,” says Shelley King, CEO of NPC.
NPC began its investment fund in 2017 to help Canadian natural product companies achieve their full commercialization potential. Along with financial investment, NPC connects high-potential Canadian companies like Mazza to Canadian and international investors.
“NPC was extremely valuable to Mazza in terms of identifying suitable investors,” says Benjamin Lightburn, CEO, Mazza Innovation. “In the last eighteen months, they provided introductions, support and guidance that helped us secure investment and meet critical milestones to expand our company to what it is today.”
The investment returns from the Mazza transaction will be recirculated into NPC’s investment pool to help other Canadian natural product companies achieve their potential. To date, NPC has invested in three companies, and has over 300 opportunities in various stages of development in its pipeline.
“This acquisition underscores the attractiveness of Canadian innovation and technology in natural products,” says David Gauthier, VP Investment, NPC. “Mazza’s ability to develop and execute an aggressive growth strategy in an area with growing global demand was highly interesting to investors.”
Gauthier added that Canadian natural product companies are benefiting from a growing commercialization ecosystem that includes extensive research expertise, commercial and technical supports at the provincial and federal level, and increasing connectivity to capital and markets through organizations like NPC and their regional partners.
For more information about Natural Products Canada, visit the website.