Created in December 2015, PAT Zerbaz is a civil farming company and a subsidiary of Plant Advanced Technologies PAT. It aims to value Reunion’s natural substances from the endemic and exotic flora by working with the expertise and the innovative production and extraction technologies of its head office.
The Reunion Island is registered under the UNESCO World Heritage and is known worldwide as a biodiversity “hot spot” with an endemic level of about 46%. The Reunion island has been settled by successive waves that have enriched the flora with species of medicinal, religious, ornamental and culinary interest.The local flora remains barely highlighted whereas it represents a great reserve for new molecules and has a very positive image especially in the cosmetic field.The “Plant Milking®” exclusive and patented technology is based on a green exploitation of active ingredients issued from roots while being environmentally friendly, avoiding plant destruction during production and greatly reducing the impact on plant biodiversity.It allows the discovery of original molecules and the identification of their biologic activities of interest but also their production on an industrial level. The “renewable” nature of the aeroponic greenhouse is all the more important that the ground surface is precious on an island as the Reunion.
The geographic position of the island is strategic because it offers a privileged access to a very large range of tropical plants while staying on the French territory, allowing PAT to comply with the Nagoya protocol that regulates the use of genetic resources of the planet and the associated traditional knowledge. Some strong complementarities between the Saint-Pierre (Reunion) and the Laronxe (Lunéville) sites must be pointed out. Firstly, it leaves the choice of the cultivation in two different climates that can affect the plant’s growing circle. On the other hand, it permits, in the south hemisphere, to insure R&D and production activities continuously throughout the year. Therefore, we can anticipate significant reductions of development times and market placements.
The PAT Zerbaz research and development program, with the participation of a Reunion University laboratory (ARMEFLHOR), and the Horticole Society of Bassin Plat was labelled by the Qualitropic competitive cluster in 2014 and is subject to a financial support demand towards the Reunion region. While contributing to preserve the natural heritage, PAT Zerbaz participates in the economic development of the Aromatic and Medicinal Plant’s Reunion branch (PAPAM) by offering high value opportunities thanks to industrial partnerships already established in the cosmetic, agrochemical and pharmaceutical fields on the national and international plan.
Contact: Henri Beaudemoulin
