“This investment reflects confidence in our current position as a probiotic leader and sets us up for long-term success as a truly integrated, total solution provider,” said Kevin Mehring, President and CEO of UAS Labs. “In an industry that continues to grow globally, UAS must stay ahead of the curve to provide our partners access to the best products possible.”
The 98,000 square foot facility dramatically increases capacity and capabilities, the company told us in an email, and will significantly improve on standard industry lead-times.
“The industry in general has strayed a little from the ultra-responsive lead times of five to ten years ago with the stress on capacities and the impressive growth we have experienced. Our facility provides the ability to have the right inventory at the right time due to the flexibility of the processes within and the storage capabilities we have, which allows us to be very responsive to customers’ needs,” said UAS.
Unique strain discovery
“As microbiome research and discoveries explode around the world, the probiotic fermentation industry must evolve to serve it,” explained the company. “Today, unique strains with distinct attributes are being discovered by partners around the globe and UAS Labs has the innovative solutions, cutting-edge equipment and team of probiotic experts needed to help these partners bring them to market.”
By pairing its team of probiotic experts with a facility engineered for product purity, the company states it now has the capacity to not only produce these strains commercially but also improve on standard industry lead-times.
“UAS has been committed to product quality, clinical research and scientific-advancement since 1979. Our new fermentation facility provides the opportunity to provide innovative, science-based solutions from probiotic strain to solution,” added Dr Gregory Leyer, UAS Chief Scientific Officer.
An exciting year
The new facility comes hot on the heels of UAS Labs’ acquisition of Nebraska Cultures, which specializes in custom-manufactured probiotic solutions including Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 and the ProDURA brand of spore-based probiotics.
Kevin Mehring, UAS Labs President and CEO, told NutraIngredients-USA that the acquisition marks the start of an exciting year for UAS Labs. “The acquisition of Nebraska Cultures is just the beginning,” he said.
Capital and guidance continue to be provided by Lakeview Equity Partners, LLC, the majority owner of UAS Labs.