Orius

This interview details Orius, an indoor farming company based in France. The interview is with Jérôme Velociter, Managing Partner of Orius.

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What is the origin story of Orius?

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The idea behind Orius comes from a simple observation: today, we know about 350,000 plant species, yet only 15% have undergone phytochemical investigations. The potential for discovery remains huge: new drugs, innovant actives for cosmetics or perfumery, and high-value nutrient products.

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Currently, when the industry identifies a promising molecule within a plant, it either produces it synthetically - often using petroleum - or through molecular biology, but risking a loss of complexity and quality. Alternatively, the plants can be cultivated in conventional agriculture, but far from factories and in countries subject to geopolitical, economic, and especially global warming challenges. Global warming is surely the main threat as it endangers the production of a lot of species.

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Imagine if we could produce these plants locally, targeting specific molecular pathways and identifying the right trigger for large-scale production, precisely where we need it? What if this cultivation method were resource-efficient and respectful of life? The mechanisms already exist in nature, we just need to unlock them. 

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Orius created a cutting-edge controlled environment technology, dedicated to in-depth understanding of nature for practical and scalable production of plants: the Biomebox®.

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The Biomebox® generates optimal conditions for climate, nutrition, light, and cultivation tailored to each plant. This method will improve physiological mechanisms such as plant sweating, Co2 uptake, or nutrient intake. Quality, chemical composition, yield production, and resource consumption are optimized.

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Therefore, the plants and natural ingredients cultivated by Orius ensure beauty, health, and food industry player's best-in-class products. Orius provides products free from both variety and chemical contamination and a solution to secure supplies while respecting life, the environment, and limiting the use of resources.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Orius in the future? 

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Orius goes further and explores the potential of nature to invent tomorrow's high-value-added products and address the challenges of the coming years. 

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How to fully develop the potential of plants and concentrate molecules of interest in a specimen? 

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Everyday, we strive to find the optimal balance in physiological mechanisms where the plant is sufficiently stimulated to produce a high quantity of valuable molecules yet not too stressed to prevent quality issues. And the outcomes are outstanding! For Calendula Officinalis, we achieved a 2.3-fold increase in polyphenol concentration reaching 14mg/g in dry product (compared to an average concentration of 6mg/g). The potential is huge. There are still 300,000 known plant species waiting to be explored, but for now, let's begin with some of them.

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How to help the industry to massively adopt plant-based ingredients as part of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives while meeting consumer expectations for natural products?

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The benefits of natural ingredients are superior to any others, that’s our conviction. 

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Orius will help relocate raw material production near the extraction site, resulting in cost savings. This approach ensures the highest quality by using freshly harvested plants and avoids potential issues related to geopolitics, economics, or climate. Industrial partners are welcome to discuss with us the possibilities and outcomes of our solution.

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How to anticipate tomorrow's climate changes on plant cultivation and propose short-term solutions? 

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An article in "The Lancet" last February highlighted that an increase of more than 2°C in the annual temperature compared to pre-industrial levels would significantly increase the risk of species extinction. The geographic ranges of approximately one-third of plant species are predicted to contract by more than 50%, causing serious disruptions in ecosystems globally. Orius is capable of simulating these scenarios and applying them to crops to better understand their impact, thus providing valuable assistance to industry stakeholders. This enables them to make strategic decisions in response to the uncertainty created by climate change.

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How to create autonomous cultivation systems to provide high-nutrient plants for astronauts in a habitable space environment? 

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Orius has developed a partnership with CNES (National Center for Space Studies), the French national space agency responsible for the country's space exploration and research endeavors. Together we collaborate on a Biomebox® tailored to the constraints and challenges of space. The main goal is to provide astronauts with the right caloric intake, along with vitamins and minerals, through a simple and autonomous system for cultivating vegetables and starches. Let’s bring some Biomebox® to the moon.

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What is unique about Orius compared to competitors? 

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At Orius we have one of the most expert teams at the intersection of biology and controlled environment cultivation. Through their experiences in various companies, the founders observed that this sector is heavily oriented towards technology. In their past experiences, they built their conviction that the true potential lies in meticulous research on living organisms and the understanding of their physiological mechanisms. It is this shared vision that they materialize by creating Orius.

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What sets Orius apart is the use of technology as a powerful tool for in-depth exploration of nature’s potential and the relentless commitment to deliver premium-quality products. Orius delves deep into the physiological mechanisms of plants (plant sweating, CO2 assimilation, nutrient consumption, etc.) to trigger physiological response of the plant and therefore get the best potential of each one. 

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Orius is also driven by optimizing resources in the most efficient way, aiming to employ precisely the right amount - no less, no more. Compared to conventional cultivation practices, Orius’s methods can save up to 95 to 98% of water or fertilizer while maintaining full control. The closed system management of fertilizer prevents the collateral damages the industry experienced on the natural ecosystem (dependency and soil sterilization, contamination of both soil and water…)

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Finally, Orius is business-oriented and understands one of the main challenges of the industry: reliability at a large scale. Orius designed its production system for large-scale adaptation, considering ergonomics, ease of operation, sanitary constraints, and production costs. Orius can deliver plants and natural ingredients in the desired form: raw, dried, frozen, freeze-dried, extracted, etc, and therefore be easily implemented in industry supply chains.

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What are some other relevant metrics of the company (production quantity, team size, etc.)?

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Orius is a young company, created in 2021. Initially supported by the TechTheMoon incubator, Orius has rapidly diversified its activities addressing the health, wellness, and beauty industries with a significant growth. 

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Orius remains a human-size company with a dozen employees. Yet each one is an expert and experienced in their respective field whether it be biology, engineering, research… We seek in each of our colleagues a passion for living, outstanding talent, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

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Orius is research-oriented, 10 phytotrons in our laboratory enable us to investigate more than 40 plant species, ranging from leafy plants and flowering plants to roots and fungi. We test an advanced range of cultivation systems, including hydroponic and aeroponic systems, hybrid systems for improved water aeration, and dedicated cultivation chambers for fungiculture.

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What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for Orius?

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In 2024 Orius will continue exploring the potential of nature. In doing so, Orius will invest heavily in research and development to create natural and economically competitive alternatives to market bestsellers (niacinamide, bakuchiol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, etc.).

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A 500 m2 production facility will be operational this year, with plans to expand rapidly to 3,000 m2. 2024 is also the year we aim at accelerating the deployment of a large-scale factory and seek partners to accompany us in this new challenge.

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We will support a top-quality approach and work to obtain ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Orius?

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You want to find out more about Orius? Our vision? Our products? Our achievements?

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Discover the core of our company’s story on our website and don't miss any of our essential updates by following us on Linkedin, Twitter or Instagram.

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As nothing beats human contact, we prioritize and value face-to-face connections! Paul-Hector, Jérome and Pierre, our founders, are eager to engage with you and explore collaboration opportunities. Feel free to get in touch at contact@orius.co.

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