FEW ladies would be willing to laden their faces with orange peel or grape marc in the name of beauty.
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For newly formed value-adding company, Extracta, that scenario is, in a roundabout way, driving its business model.
The Australian manufacturer is creating high-value ingredients from food and agriculture waste, including sugarcane trash, grape marc and orange peel to make products for the nutraceutical and cosmetic industries.
Extracta chief executive officer, Robert Lewis, said his business was turning farm sector waste products into raw materials for complementary medicines such as those made by sister company, MediKane.
It has also secured $2.5 million through the Fight Food Waste Co-operative Research Centre.
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"These will allow us to set up a production facility in Brisbane in partnership with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and develop high-value medical products in conjunction with Macquarie University," Mr Lewis said.
The Brisbane plant would process sugarcane fibre and the second, in Orange in NSW, would initially handle grape marc (skins and seeds left after winegrape processing).
The facilities will be relocatable, not limited to one product or season, with other production opportunities including waste from mangoes, avocados and stonefruit.
Extracta is seeking capital from local investors, and looking at establishing a business in the United States.
Mr Lewis said reducing waste was also a key part of the company's directive.
"This saves agricultural producers money because they won't have to send waste to landfill and benefits the environment by diverting agricultural waste from landfill," Mr Lewis said.
"Plus, we're re-establishing the manufacturing of several ingredients like pectin in Australia.
"There are other companies who use agricultural waste like grape marc, but unlike most others, we will be utilising 100 per cent of waste rather than just one element."
Extracta is working closely with key players in the wine industry including Tamburlaine Wines in Orange.
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