Tucked away in Christchurch, the Tertiary Extracts Ōtautahi (TEO) team of scientists and entrepreneurs has upcycled low-value by-products from New Zealand’s meat industry and transformed them into premium protein ingredients with global potential.
With decades of combined experience in alternative proteins, international brand building, and health product development, TEO’s co-founders, Dr Rob Kelly, Paul Sapsford, and Kimberley Bray, saw a real opportunity in the overlooked area and initiated deep tech research in 2021.
“It’s about closing the loop,” said Dr Rob Kelly, TEO’s joint founder and Chief Scientific Officer.
“We’re using science to turn what was once waste into something profoundly valuable – for human health, for the environment and our economy.”
Their flagship innovation, Ovitage, is an edible ovine collagen that redefines the potential of household supplements. Derived from sheepskin using TEO’s proprietary extraction methods, Ovitage contains significantly higher levels of cystine, tyrosine and glutamic acid than traditional bovine or marine collagens.
The result is a bioavailable protein that’s not just beneficial for skin, hair, and nails, but also for gut health, muscle tone, mood, and cognitive support.
“There’s a huge opportunity in New Zealand’s agricultural waste streams,” said co-CEO Bray.
“But it takes technology, tenacity and trust from the market to turn that waste into a globally competitive ingredient.”
Ovitage has now become the hero ingredient behind Everee Women, the company’s first product proof point, a fast-growing supplement range explicitly designed for women across life’s hormonal shifts.
“We saw a gap in the women’s wellness space. There’s too much noise and not enough science. Everee cuts through that – it’s simple, effective and grounded in years of R&D.”
Support from the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust, better known as AGMARDT, and Callaghan Innovation, combined with a NZD 1.7 million funding round from friends and family, enabled TEO to open a dedicated manufacturing facility in Christchurch last year, a significant step in bringing Everee to market at scale.
From the start, TEO set out to create value from agricultural by-products, transforming ovine skins that would otherwise go to landfill into high-value, functional proteins with proven health benefits. This regenerative, closed-loop model reduces landfill pressure, lowers emissions and provides new income streams for local farmers and processors.
In an industry often criticised for environmental impact and opaque supply chains, TEO is setting a new standard, proving that biotech innovation and sustainability can not only coexist but thrive together.
With a clear focus on export-led growth, the company is actively scaling its presence in premium international markets across North America, Europe and Asia.
TEO’s innovation pipeline is rapidly expanding, with new product platforms under development in areas such as GLP-1 support, functional lipids, enhanced sports recovery proteins and skin microbiome health.
There’s also increasing demand for mood and cognitive support, where TEO’s deep understanding of amino acid functionality offers a clear competitive edge.
By pairing regenerative sourcing with cutting-edge biotech, TEO has carved out a space where wellness meets sustainability and where New Zealand’s agricultural legacy becomes a platform for global innovation.
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