There’s a biosolution for (almost) everything.
You almost certainly have something enabled by biosolutions in your home or office right now.
And if your car’s gas tank has ethanol in it, there’s a strong chance the company’s Blair, Nebraska, plant had a hand in making it.
A biosolution is simply a way of using nature’s own tools—like enzymes, microbes, and fermentation—to tackle everyday challenges and make processes better. Novonesis believes solutions rooted in biology are key to tackling the challenges the world faces. Their purpose is clear: to better the world with biology. Novonesis’ microbes and enzymes are used in just about everything: Probiotics, yogurt, pepperoni, cheese, low-lactose milk, light beer and even laundry detergent.
“You’ll commonly find pepperoni made in the U.S. has one of our biosolutions in it,” said Vanessa Rising, Senior Director of Manufacturing & General Manager at Novonesis’ Blair facility. “And if you’ve ever had low-lactose milk or a light beer, enzymes made by Novonesis are what make that possible.”
While the company operates globally, the Blair site primarily produces enzymes for the biofuels market using corn grown locally as a key input. That makes the Omaha area — already home to a strong biofuels sector — a natural fit.
“We take corn from this area to feed microorganisms that produce enzymes used in bioethanol production,” Rising explained.
The location also provides a powerful logistics advantage. Most of the company’s products ship by bulk truck, enabling fast, efficient delivery to customers.
“We are within a 500-mile or one-day trip to 95% of the bioethanol market in North America,” Rising said.
That strategic positioning is no accident. Rising explained that when the company looked to expand enzyme production in the early 2000s, Nebraska stood out.
“It was a global search that narrowed to the Midwest because that’s where the market was,” Rising said. “This site in Blair was chosen for several reasons — strong state tax incentives, the co-location model with Cargill and even the Missouri River, which allowed us to ship in fermentation vessels too large for the road.”
Being on the Blair BioRefinery Campus provides unique synergies. Inputs like steam and water, as well as wastewater management, are handled through partnerships with Cargill.
“That simplifies production and makes us more cost-efficient,” Rising said. “There’s a pulse here on campus. We all work together to make sure operations stay strong.”
Novonesis has invested heavily in the Blair site and continues to leverage natural processes like fermentation and biomanufacturing to enable the creation of nutritious, great-tasting foods with fewer artificial additives.
The advantages of operating in the Greater Omaha region go beyond infrastructure and incentives.
“There’s a really strong work ethic here,” she said. “We have a ‘do what it takes to get it done’ mentality, and that’s incredibly important for our business.”
With world-class biosolutions, a prime logistics location and ongoing investment, Novonesis shows why Omaha and the surrounding region have become a hub for biotech innovation. It’s why more companies are choosing Nebraska as the place to grow.