Verdezyne Signs Agreement With Major European Chemicals Distributor Will & Co

Exclusive Agreement to Drive European Adoption of Verdezyne’s First Product, BIOLON™ DDDA from its Commercial-Scale Production Facility

CARLSBAD, Calif. & BADHOEVEDORP, Netherlands--()--Verdezyne, Inc., a privately-held industrial biotechnology company focused on producing renewable chemicals, has reached an agreement with Will & Co, a sales and marketing firm for raw materials, semi-finished products, additives, and pigments, for distribution of Verdezyne’s first commercial product. The exclusive agreement is for sales and distribution of BIOLON™ DDDA (biobased dodecanedioic acid or “DC12”) in Europe, one of the world’s largest chemical markets. BIOLON™ DDDA will be produced at Verdezyne’s commercial-scale plant in Malaysia. The agreement secures off-take for over 25% of the expected plant capacity.

Verdezyne’s BIOLON™ DDDA is produced more sustainably than traditional petroleum-derived intermediate chemicals and will be used to make engineering polymer resins, automotive parts, toothbrush bristles, cosmetics, fragrances, and more.

“This agreement with Will & Co is an important milestone for us because it reflects the strong demand for renewable chemicals and the demonstrated high quality of our product,” said E. William Radany, Ph.D., President and CEO of Verdezyne. “With a focus on serving customers, Will & Co is the perfect partner for us and we are proud to be associated with them. Having forged this mutually beneficial distribution partnership for a significant portion of our production capacity, we are even more excited to start producing BIOLON™ DDDA as soon as possible.”

Verdezyne’s plant, expected to open in 2017, is anticipated to have the capacity to produce over 10,000 metric tons of diacids annually, including BIOLON™ DDDA, drawing on Malaysia’s diverse and abundant base of plant-derived feedstocks.

“For some time, our customers have been asking us for an alternative to petroleum-derived chemicals, and Verdezyne’s BIOLON™ DDDA fits the bill perfectly,” commented Jacques van Lindonk, Managing Director at Will & Co. “We are excited to finally be able to offer them a biobased, versatile, sustainable chemical for such a wide variety of uses, at competitive prices. It is Will & Co’s focus to expand the product portfolio with biobased products, and through our cooperation with Verdezyne we take an important step forward.”

For samples, orders or more information about Verdezyne’s BIOLON DDDA, please contact:

About Verdezyne

Verdezyne is an industrial biotechnology company using proven and proprietary metabolic pathway engineering tools to develop unique yeast strains for cost-effective production of biobased chemicals. Current investors in Verdezyne include BP Alternative Energy Ventures, DSM Venturing B.V., OVP Venture Partners, Monitor Ventures, and Sime Darby. For more information, visit www.verdezyne.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

About Will & Co

Will & Co, established in the Netherlands in 1924, have been active in the distribution and trading of chemical raw materials ever since. During the years Will & Co has grown into an international supplier of specialty chemicals, high quality raw materials, additives and colorants. We cooperate very closely with the manufacturers of these products, mainly on the basis of exclusivity. Our experienced staff does everything to supply maximal service to our customers and business relations in the various industries. We offer a wide range of products, combined with the necessary know-how and support for production and product development. More information is available at www.will-co.nl.

Contacts

Verdezyne, Inc.
Aida Yodites, 760-707-5200
Corporate Communications
ayodites@verdezyne.com
or
Sparkpr
Bill Douglass, 646-504-0890
bdouglass@sparkpr.com

Release Summary

Top industrial biotechnology company, Verdezyne, partners with Will & Co for distribution of BIOLON™ DDDA, a sustainable chemical used for automotive parts, cosmetics, fragrances, and more.

Contacts

Verdezyne, Inc.
Aida Yodites, 760-707-5200
Corporate Communications
ayodites@verdezyne.com
or
Sparkpr
Bill Douglass, 646-504-0890
bdouglass@sparkpr.com