European companies Biotalys and Olon close a long-term agreement to promote protein-based biocontrollers

Biotalys and Olon have entered a partnership with which they hope to break into the market for biologically derived agricultural controllers. The first is an agricultural technology company that aims to develop protein-based biocontrol solutions. Based in Belgium and with shares listed on the Euronext stock exchange under the ticker symbol BTLS, the firm just launched its first product last November under the brand name Evoca. The Italian Olon Group is a chemical company that has made a name for itself in the generics sector and has specialized in up-to-date microbial biomanufacturing.

On January 12th, both firms announced a long-term alliance in which Olon will produce Biotalys biocontrol products in its manufacturing centers in the southern Italian city of Capua, and in Settimo Torinese (Turin).

"The partnership is driven by the common vision of transforming food protection with unique protein-based biocontrol solutions and ensures the global supply of Evoca," says the statement released by Olon.

Olon will initially produce Evoca's active ingredient, although the plan is to add new products to that line. In Capua, the fermentation plant operates a range of bioreactors of up to 35 m³, while the Settimo Torinese plant foresees production in batches of up to 112 m³, a capacity that is far above that achieved by Biotalys’ production processes until now. "This expansion represents a big step forward in terms of production efficiency and scalability of protein-based bio-controls," says Olon’s statement.

“Biotalys’ protein-based biocontrols are a promising new class of products to help growers protect their crops in an environmentally sustainable way,” said Paolo Tubertini, CEO of Olon. “They perfectly match with our long-term plan that focuses on novel biotech solutions and, consequently, the expansion of our capacity to support innovative biotech companies to accelerate the development of new products in a more sustainable way. According to this strategy we offer one of the biggest platforms for microbial fermentation production globally. It means the application of sustainable biotechnology to industrialization."

New product for 2026

Biotalys also announced at the end of January that it has achieved a "great advance" in the protein expression of the bioactive ingredient of its first biological control product Evoca. The advance announced today has the potential to transform Evoca from a market calibration tool into a product that provides commercial value with competitive effectiveness and cost for producers in the horizon of 2026, pending field test studies, registration and extension. The company is evaluating the impact on its current activities and will communicate the implications in due course.

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