Teijin Group Invests in The Healthy Grain Company
16 Dec 2016 --- The Healthy Grain (THG) company has announced that it has successfully raised $8 million of external capital from the Teijin Group of Japan. Teijin, a global business with sales of USD7.4 billion as of 2015, will join the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and Australian Capital Ventures Limited (ACVL) as the three major shareholders in THG.
The new investment, THG’s first external capital deal, was completed on Friday 2 December.
Robert Burbury, CEO of THG, welcomed Teijin as a new shareholder, saying, “We have been working with Teijin for over two years to evaluate the potential for BARLEYmax foods in Japan.”
“Teijin has brought a real enthusiasm of developing the BARLEYmax business. They have the long-term vision, patience and resources that are essential to this type of venture, the same attributes as the founding shareholders CSIRO and ACVL,” he added.
THG specializes in commercializing unique, non-GMO, nutritionally superior wholegrains with substantiated health-claim benefits. The company has an exclusive portfolio of these grains, protected by trademarks such as BARLEYmaxTM wholegrain and KebariTM hulless barley.
Teijin has successfully test-marketed BARLEYmax products in Japan and is in the final stages of a formal market launch.
BARLEYmax provides increased levels of key components such as dietary fiber, resistant starch and protein, while also having a low glycaemic index. This means the product can help reduce the risk of major chronic disease including colorectal cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Currently, BARLEYmax wholegrain is used in health foods such as breakfast cereals, bread and muesli bars, and has been available to the Australian market for a number of years.
“We’re looking forward to the rapid growth of THG, now we have the support of this major Japanese company,” Robert Burbury said.
“We are very well positioned to continue developing our business globally.”
The successful capital raising managed by Kidder Williams Limited comes at the end of a big year for THG. In June, the company signed an exclusive global license with CSIRO to commercialize Kebari barley for food. Kebari is recognized as gluten free in North America and Europe – a first for any barley worldwide.
With the investment from Teijin, THG says it now has the long-term financial resources to continue developing these and other opportunities for wholegrains that enhance health and wellbeing.
