Growth for Albotherm as they prepare for innovative commercial pilot

While some of their partnerships for these pilots are yet to be announced, Molly was able to confirm that they will be working with both Vitacress, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of fresh produce, and FlavourFresh – a leading commercial glasshouse grower in Britain.

“This will allow us to begin trials in Spring 2024 using spray coatings for the glass of their existing greenhouses. We’ll also be working with Pilkington Glass to create a coating that can be added to the glass at manufacture stage.”

As well as offering an opportunity to prove the value of their product, the partnerships have given Sian and Molly vital feedback that has helped them to focus their commercial messaging on the needs of the customer. Sian explains:

“By talking directly to growers we’re able to understand their needs and what the main attraction of our products are for them. For example, the fact that it lasts for multiple years means they don’t have to keep reapplying it – whereas before we were focusing more on the benefits to crop yield.” 

As a team of four, Molly and Sian are excited to be almost doubling in size and working with more interns through the UWE Bristol funded scheme offered at Future Space.

“We’re recruiting for two people to support with product optimisation who will be based in the lab, and an office-based assistant. We have an intern at the moment and we’ll definitely be looking to bring another one in the next round.”

The new lab assistants will be based in lab space that was recently vacated by exmoor pharma, who have successfully grown into an international business and have built their own offices in Bristol. 

“Being in a space like this that is flexible works really well for what we need”, says Sian. “[Future Space] has given us the opportunity to grow and access the right equipment and support. 

“Plus, we’re based in Bristol, which is a fantastic location for startups. There’s a lot of startup and tech advisors here so you can tap into the right knowledge, and it makes it easier to recruit as people want to come here and stay here.

“Future Space is a really lively hub too, so there are a lot of people to talk to which you need when you’re a small team.”