In the world of food innovation and biotechnology, ideas are easy. Execution is hard. For applied researchers like Owen Catchpole, Jolin Morel and Campbell Ellison from the Food Processing Technology team in Callaghan Innovation’s Biotechnologies Group, the question isn’t whether it’s possible to extract value from nature’s byproducts – it’s how to do it at scale, within regulations, and in a way that delivers real commercial outcomes.
That’s where NZFIN comes in. Together, these two organisations form a unique and powerful partnership – one that is actively transforming how New Zealand’s natural resources are turned into high-value, export-ready products.
Within the Biotechnologies Group, Owen, Jolin and Campbell work at the cutting edge of food and bioactive innovation. From concentrating proteins from pumpkin seeds to turning marine byproducts into peptide-rich health ingredients, their Auckland-based team and colleagues in Lower Hutt push the boundaries of what’s possible in processing, formulation, and technology.
But even the best science can only go so far in a lab. Companies need more than proof-of-concept – they need a bridge to market.
“It’s one thing to show something is technically feasible,” says Owen. “It’s another to demonstrate it at the scale and quality that convinces a business to invest.”
That bridge is NZFIN. The partnership provides a complete, end-to-end innovation pathway – combining Callaghan’s Biotechnologies Group deep R&D capability with NZFIN’s world-class food grade facilities and commercial know-how. Together, they take promising concepts and turn them into viable products ready for market.
This partnership has already delivered a string of successes – not just prototypes, but real products heading to market.
Take Ovavo, a company looking to do more with second-grade avocados. Working with the Food Processing Technology team and others, they developed a freeze-dried avocado flesh product. Through NZFIN, they scaled it to commercial batch size and produced export-compliant samples. The result? One product now on shelves, another in the pipeline — and a new revenue stream from what was once waste.
Or Kabocha Innovations, who saw hidden potential in pumpkin seeds. With the Biotechnologies Group help, they developed a process to produce high-protein content powders. At FoodBowl, they tested part of the process and refined it at semi-commercial scale – and they’re now gearing up to take it to market.
In the marine space, a partnership with Oceanika led to the creation of a fish maw peptide product. Thanks to processing at FoodBowl, that product is now being exported to Macau – proof that innovation and export-readiness can go hand in hand.
The secret isn’t just in the science – it’s in the shared mission, and complementary capabilities.
The Biotechnologies Group brings the deep technical expertise, the lab-scale innovation, and the passion to explore new biological frontiers. NZFIN brings the infrastructure, regulatory readiness, and commercial mindset to make those ideas real.
“Without NZFIN and FoodBowl, delivering for our clients would be significantly harder,” says Jolin. “It’s the flexibility and compliance framework that unlocks a wide spectrum of innovation.”
Whether it’s producing small batches of food-grade product for export testing, accessing RMP certification, or demonstrating cutting-edge equipment like supercritical CO₂ extraction, the FoodBowl fills a critical gap that most SMEs – and even many corporates – can’t bridge alone.
“We give companies a reason to invest,” says Owen. “We help them see that value recovery isn’t just possible – it’s commercially viable.”
This partnership is also helping lay the foundation for something much bigger: a more sustainable, IP-rich, export-led bioeconomy that drives commercial outcomes.
With the creation of a new Bioeconomy Public Research Organisation (PRO) on the horizon, both the Biotechnologies Group and NZFIN are poised to play key roles. They’re ready to expand their remit beyond traditional foods, into bioactives, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, and more. And with Government commitment to continue critical work these organisations for industry, this partnership and the outcomes will strengthen for years to come.
Together, they are building an innovation system where high-wage jobs, reduced waste, and high-value exports turn from theory into practice. Food innovation is so much more than what we eat. It’s about unlocking the full potential of New Zealand’s natural resources and turning that potential into prosperity, one scalable solution at a time.
