In the rapidly evolving agrifood sector, adapting to emerging challenges is vital for animal nutrition businesses to stay relevant and effectively support their customers. For NOVUS this is a priority, as they work to drive innovative solutions that meet global challenges faced by the animal agriculture industry.
In recent months there have been exciting developments for NOVUS, marked by the acquisition of enzyme specialist BioResource International, Inc. (BRI), a strategic partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks to create novel enzyme solutions, and the launch of a new product for the dairy sector NEXT ENHANCE® CGO Feed Solution. Helping to oversee these and future endeavors, is the company's new Associate Director of Innovation and Business Development, Gaurav Shah, who steps into this key role with a clear vision and enthusiasm for advancing NOVUS’ mission.
In this interview with him, we explore these recent developments and how NOVUS views the key challenges facing its global customers. We also delve into the rationale behind these strategic moves, their alignment with NOVUS' long-term goals, and how they are shaping the company’s innovation pipeline and collaborations.
[Feedinfo] As the new Associate Director of Innovation and Business Development at NOVUS what attracted you to join the company?
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[Gaurav Shah] What attracted me to NOVUS is its unwavering commitment to innovation. As a biotech engineer with a strong understanding of patent law and over 12 years of experience in the feed additive industry, I found NOVUS’ focus on animal health and nutrition and its open innovation pipeline incredibly compelling. The company’s track record of integrating cutting-edge technology to add value for customers aligns perfectly with my professional background and aspirations. |
Gaurav Shah, Associate Director of Innovation and Business Development, NOVUS |
I am particularly excited about the opportunity to tackle some of the biggest challenges in the livestock industry, such as sustainability, food safety, and profitability. NOVUS fosters a culture of innovation and has assembled a team of forward-thinking professionals. I am thrilled to contribute to NOVUS’ mission and drive impactful projects that will shape the future of our industry.
[Feedinfo] What does NOVUS see as the top challenges for its customers internationally? How do these influence the partnerships you are creating for the company?
[Gaurav Shah] Some of the top challenges include effective disease management while reducing the use of antibiotic growth promoters and maintaining profitability under volatile market conditions on the raw material as well as the finished product side. We are also witnessing consumer and government pressure for higher food safety and animal welfare standards as well as reaching sustainability objectives while maintaining or reducing the cost of production.
While the industry as a whole faces all of these challenges there are also very region- and species-specific flavors. For example, customers in Europe are concerned about environmental sustainability while the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed new rules regarding Salmonella in poultry. It is clear there are plenty of challenges. What makes NOVUS a good partner is our ability to identify the challenges we can address and then offer intelligent solutions that fit our customers.
Our customers are always top of mind so we’re looking for partnerships that can build solutions or services that bring value, are economically and practically feasible, and match our corporate mission of helping animals meet their growth potential through intelligent nutrition rooted in science.
[Feedinfo] NOVUS acquired BRI and its enzyme portfolio earlier this year. Your leadership team explained part of the reason was to have total control over CIBENZA® Enzyme Feed Additive production but also due to an interest in the fermentation technology. Following the acquisition, what is coming next?
[Gaurav Shah] The acquisition and integration of BRI strengthens NOVUS’ fermentation capabilities beyond the current enzyme offerings. In addition to that expertise, BRI brings a portfolio of ready-to-be-developed or ready-to-launch new products in the feed digestibility and gut health spaces. We believe these innovations have a role to play in improving productivity and profitability for our customers worldwide. Members of the BRI team are now members of our team and are working on products that are robust in their performance and make sense financially for both NOVUS and our customers.
[Feedinfo] Last month, NOVUS announced the partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks to create a next generation enzyme. What is drawing the company to these products?
[Gaurav Shah] Enzymes are vital in improving feed digestibility and allowing the use of alternative feed ingredients. Enzymes are a tool that allows NOVUS to support customer profitability in an industry where feed is the largest part of the cost of production across all species. As a next step to the BRI acquisition, the Ginkgo Bioworks partnership brings cutting-edge molecular biology tools to develop next-generation enzymes with higher stability and efficacy as well as improving fermentation efficiencies. This collaboration will help us deliver new solutions addressing sustainability, supporting gut performance, and, perhaps most importantly, positively impacting our customers’ bottom line.
[Feedinfo] In October, NOVUS announced the launch of a product outside of the enzyme space – NEXT ENHANCE® CGO Feed Solution – which helps reduce cattle feed intake without compromising milk production or body condition. Why does the industry need this product now?
[Gaurav Shah] This is another solution that’s focused on improving profitability. NEXT ENHANCE® CGO Feed Solution is scientifically shown to help dairy farmers get more out of forage by optimizing dry matter intake per kilogram/pound of milk produced while maintaining the cow’s milk production and body condition. This means the cow is eating less without affecting milk output.
Our studies with dairy cows fed NEXT ENHANCE® CGO Feed Solution in commercial conditions show a decrease in dry matter intake by 0.95 kg (2.08 lbs.) per cow per day. It means a 33-pound bag of this product can save 81,729 pounds of total mixed ration. Along with being a source of feed efficiency, NEXT ENHANCE® CGO creates a feed buffer that may help the farmer whose field is hit with drought or flood, or the farmer whose new forage needs a little more time to ferment before it goes into the feed bunk. This feed buffer offers farmers options in feed management.
[Feedinfo] NOVUS has mentioned its innovation pipeline being a major part of the company’s strategic plans. Can you share other opportunities you’re evaluating or the types of partnerships you’re interested in?
[Gaurav Shah] With a strong business foundation, advantageous customer proximity, and strategic clarity to grow our core offerings (organic trace minerals, methionine, eubiotics, and enzymes), NOVUS is ramping up investments in innovation. We are exploring several new opportunities in the animal health and nutrition space including for species-specific issues like respiratory diseases in swine, disease management in poultry, and solutions that increase milk component yield in dairy. We’re also interested in technologies that improve our production efficiencies and new complementary services that aid our customers on their farms or at the feed mill. NOVUS is open to a broad range of collaboration structures and I’m personally excited to see what’s next.
