Bialtec is a based-biotechnology company, that is engaged in the production of supplies for the food from animals’ industry and transforms the agriculture and livestock origin`s raw material, through cleaner and friendlier processes for the environment. Using innovation and products such as the Colombian tuber named yucca, which gets advantage of Colombian natural wealth, and give support to agriculture families who live in a town called Mutatà, located in Antioquia department.
Javier Mauricio Agudelo y Jorge Darío Rueda, the two Bialtec co-founders, are both Chemical Engineers. Mauricio has a college degree from Antioquia University and Dario from National University as well. One day, as they were working together, they realized about the necessity of creating based-biotechnology products in the animal industry, which allows the environment impact to decrease, to increase themselves effectiveness and profitability, to prevent human and animal health damage, and to get advantage of Colombian biodiversity. If you want to know how these two engineers became this great idea into a profitable constituted company with patents in process, then, we`re going to tell you the story here.
Mauricio the Bialtec CEO , told us that meanwhile he was studying at college, he always had the intention of being an entrepreneur and actually, during that period of time he started by himself three different projects, all of them focused on applying the science in order to improve processes or products, and even though any of them worked, they gave him the knowledge and all what he needed, to successfully develop products and the Bialtec business model as well.
Mauricio affirms, that during those first years, he learnt that it was not only necessary to have a good and innovating idea, but also, it was very important for that idea to be validated by the market. What it means is, that everyone could be willing to pay for it. And once this idea could become a real one, you have to find out the accurate work team who will be able to materialize it, until they become it into a real enterprise.
Mauricio and Darío met each other, while they were working together for one of the largest dairy companies in Colombia. While they were over there, they started working on the technical development of a product to improve the food for animals’ quality, they began to ratify together the idea into the market by participating in some programs which allowed them to validate the market need, to develop a solid business model, to acquire business administration knowledge, to stablish relationships with allies, to generate investment and gain recognition. Some of them were Capital Semilla developed by Ruta N, Colciencias programs (today Science Ministry), research projects for the product launch. Besides that, they have been awarded with prizes such as The Dominican Central Bank prize called: America’s innovators, in the industry and enterprise category, among others.
By that time, they also began to look for some consultancies, and finance and business administrator expert partners, to make a more complete business plan, and they continued participating in other entrepreneurship programs, accepting this type of platforms.
The project passed from being a research, to be a business idea and afterwards, it became into a constituted company. Through his work, they have achieved to employ more than 300 families who work with yucca (the Colombian tuber) in Mutata town, Antioquia, and they have reduced ammonia emissions (in the animals digestive process), which is currently one of the most worrying contaminants, and they also have reduced the use of antibiotics in thousands of monthly tons, contributing with this, to decrease the bacterial resistance propagation possibility, which could kill more people than cancer disease by 2050.
The loan given by the financial and technology company called Creci, to Bialtec, has permitted itself to raise its production capacity not only as leaders in Colombia in the biotechnology based-food production, but also to achieve its international expansion and positioning in the region plans. We have the certain that they are going to achieve it, thanks to the organic growth they have obtained, and we feel so happy to be part of this story.
