CANBERRA— A former Qantas (QF) engineer who once explored algae as a source of sustainable aviation fuel is taking the technology into a very different market, with algae-based pet food set to reach Coles supermarkets.
Colin McGregor, founder and managing director of Genesis Algae Innovation, has merged the commercial-scale algae producer with premium pet food company Proudi, valued at about $38 million.
The deal gives Genesis a route into Australia’s growing premium pet nutrition market while opening opportunities for international expansion.
From Jet Fuel To Pet Food
McGregor’s interest in algae began during his engineering career at Qantas, where he investigated its potential as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel. He later used that experience to develop systems capable of producing microalgae, particularly chlorella, at commercial scale.
Genesis was founded in 2017 and has since focused on growing chlorella for applications spanning nutrition, agriculture and environmental products.
McGregor said the engineering discipline and economic lessons he gained from aviation helped shape the company’s approach to algae production.
Chlorella can contain up to 60 per cent protein by dry weight and provides all essential amino acids. Genesis now supplies the ingredient for Proudi products, including YumGuard pet food and supplements aimed at dogs and cats.
Chlorella Targets Pet Health
The companies believe chlorella can add nutritional value to premium pet products as owners increasingly spend more on food designed to support animal health and longevity. Proudi’s current YumGuard range uses Australian-grown chlorella in products for both dogs and cats.
Proudi says its cracked-cell chlorella is processed to make its nutrients more accessible, while its products are marketed for areas including digestion, immunity, energy, skin and coat condition.
The company also says individual animals can respond differently, meaning results are not guaranteed.
The commercial opportunity is already showing momentum. Genesis said sales of Proudi’s YumGuard brand increased 300 per cent year-on-year as demand for premium pet food expanded across Australia and Asia.
The merger also comes as other Australian pet food companies target longer and healthier lives for companion animals.
McGregor acknowledged that pet owners can sometimes over-humanise their animals, but said the broader shift toward better nutrition reflects a desire to improve pet health.
Algae Business Expands
Pet food is only one part of Genesis’s wider algae strategy. The company also produces algae-based agricultural products that McGregor says can reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and lower livestock methane emissions.
Producing algae commercially, however, presents a major energy challenge because water must continuously move through growing systems.
Genesis says its technology uses natural water flow rather than energy-intensive paddle wheels, allowing large volumes of water to circulate with relatively low power requirements, The Australian reported.
That approach is intended to improve both the economics and environmental performance of large-scale algae cultivation.
Genesis has also reported that its agricultural products can reduce chemical fertiliser use by as much as 90 per cent and livestock methane emissions by up to 25 per cent.
The company is now looking beyond Australia, with negotiations under way with US distributors, including Amazon.
For McGregor, the journey from aviation engineering to pet nutrition remains connected by the same technology: producing algae efficiently at commercial scale and finding new markets for its nutritional properties.
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