c-LEcta reports a record year with significant growth

c-LEcta, a global biotechnology company with technology leadership in enzyme engineering and bioprocess development, successfully continued its dynamic business development in the 2021 financial year. • The product range has been expanded to include NuCLEANase, an enzyme with a wide range of applications in the food industry • The course has been set for future growth: c-LEcta has secured more than 10.000 m² of building space for a new headquarters at the Alte Messe Leipzig

Thomas Pfaadt, CFO of c-LEcta GmbH, comments: “We are very proud of the performance of the last few years. Our products have ensured good growth dynamics and, thanks to the wide range of applications, also a high level of resilience, which is the last
supported for two years. In order to continue to drive this growth forward in the long term, we have expanded our team again this year and are happy to have 120 highly qualified colleagues. We plan to continue investing in additional staff and equipment in the future.”

A highlight of the past year was the EXCiPACT certification of c-LEcta's high quality standards in production and sales. The requirements for these certifications go beyond the requirements of ISO 9001 and are an international seal of quality that guarantees the highest quality standards for pharmaceutical excipients and other critical ingredients in the pharmaceutical industry. The certification confirms the high quality standards of c-LEcta and will reduce the customer effort regarding supplier audits in the future.

In October 2021, the product NuCLEANase was launched, a specially optimized enzyme preparation that cleaves all types of DNA. This can be used to remove DNA residues from products that are manufactured using microorganisms, such as enzymes for the food and feed industries. NuCLEANase was in high demand right from the start of sales, which underscores the great market potential.

dr Marc Struhalla, Founder and CEO of c-LEcta, comments: “NuCLEANase is an impressively diverse product with great potential. The development also shows the versatility of our technology platform ENESYZ, which allows enzyme developments based on different production systems for a variety of applications. ENESYZ is constantly being further developed: This year, with Bacillus, we were able to integrate an additional expression host into our enzyme engineering platform.”

The company was also able to make significant progress in the area of ​​machine learning and artificial intelligence in 2021. “We have recently achieved some very promising results in this innovative area. This topic is becoming an increasingly important component for our future product developments. We are rapidly expanding our expertise in this area to defend our technology leadership in enzyme engineering,” said Dr. struhalla.

c-LEcta is already positioned globally, around 97% of sales are now generated abroad. In total, c-LEcta now serves over 400 customers in more than 40 countries. The company has supply contracts with many customers in the pharmaceutical sector
enzyme products and numerous customers have qualified c-LEcta as suppliers. In this way, a long-term customer relationship can be established in future areas such as gene and cell therapy. In addition to Europe, North America and Asia play an important role.

c-LEcta's most important markets, the food and pharmaceutical industries, are subject to strict regulations worldwide. In May 2021, c-LEcta submitted two enzyme dossiers. These enzyme dossiers for the food industry complement the company's offering for its customers, who no longer have to worry about the approvals for the use of the enzymes separately. By filing a master file with the FDA, c-LEcta supports its customers from the pharmaceutical industry with regard to regulatory compliance and proves the quality of the manufacturing processes and products.

In October, c-LEcta secured its own building complex with over 10.000 m2 in the new BioSquare, which is to be built from the second quarter of 2022 at the "Alte Messe" location in Leipzig. dr Struhalla adds: “We want to and will continue to grow. At the old one
Great new facilities are emerging for the life sciences industry, allowing us to provide state-of-the-art office and laboratory space for our growing team.”

A milestone in c-LEcta's history was reached in February 2022 when the Kerry Group acquired a majority stake in the company. The Kerry Group is the world's leading sustainable nutrition company and taste and nutrition partner to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets.

Since acquiring majority ownership, Kerry and c-LEcta have worked closely on numerous projects, including co-distributing the products DENARASE and NuCLEANase worldwide, and have identified new areas of development for the food industry. c-LEcta's unique expertise in enzyme engineering and experience in developing Bacillus strains will be of particular benefit.

“Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the biotechnology industry has received a lot of media attention and also significant inflows of funds. c-LEcta also had a record year and has now gained a strong partner in the Kerry Group. Through her
global presence in the food and pharmaceutical sector gives c-LEcta access to additional markets. The Kerry Group brings with it a broad expertise in the field of ingredients technologies and applications, which makes them a perfect fit for us to even better exploit our growth potential in the future. We will continue to work with our existing industrial partners and of course also manufacture and sell our products for our valued customers," explains Dr. struhalla.

About c-LEcta

c-LEcta is a global biotechnology company specializing in the development, production and sale of enzyme products. The company uses world-class enzyme engineering and manufacturing technologies to provide its partners in the food and pharmaceutical industries with superior biotechnological solutions for innovative industrial applications. The product development is based on the proprietary enzyme technology platform ENESYZ® and is carried out both in-house and in close cooperation with industrial partners worldwide. c-LEcta supplies its products to more than 400 customers in over 40 countries. c-LEcta currently employs more than 120 people at the company headquarters in Leipzig.

c-LEcta is part of the Kerry Group. Kerry is the world's leading flavor and nutrition partner for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets. The company employs 22.000 people at over 150 locations and leverages its wide range
Ingredient solutions to innovate with its customers and create great tasting products with improved nutritional value and functionality while having a better impact on the environment.

Source: Press release c-LEcta from November 23.08.2022th, XNUMX