In a hangar in an industrial area of Ivry-sur-Seine, in the suburbs of Paris, the object looks like a spaceship from a science fiction film: it is a greenhouse inspired by the space exploration of a French-American start-up . up, Interstellar Lab, which recreates different climates.
• Also read: Swiss glaciers have melted at the same rate in the last two years as they did between 1960 and 1990
Goal: Prepare aromatic plants that are essential for perfumery for climate change.
The Interstellar Lab initiative attracted one of the market leaders in flavors and perfumes, the French company Robertet.
The egg-shaped BioPod is eleven meters long, five meters wide and six meters high and is illuminated by LEDs that give its 100 m2 interior a purple light. This allows the resistance of plants to be tested and cultivated.
In this cocoon, inspired by a system developed for NASA, the Interstellar Lab reproduces the climate on demand in a semi-closed loop. “It’s a greenhouse on steroids,” laughs Barbara Belvisi, CEO of the start-up and originator of this idea.
“Two computers connected to sensors manage temperatures, humidity, light and oxygen levels,” she explains to AFP.
Housed in a transparent dome case, the BioPod houses a 500 liter water tank with a battery life of three to six months, depending on the desired climate. The device also influences the doses of CO2 required for plant growth.
In a few months a BioPod will be installed in Grasse in southeastern France. Robertet, which designs natural perfumes and flavors for the biggest brands such as Chanel, Dior, Hermès and large dairy and water companies (which do not wish to be named), has invested one million euros over five years in the purchase of such a greenhouse its management system.
“This will allow us to reduce the research time by four to five,” Julien Maubert, director of Robertet’s raw materials department, told AFP.
For the group’s general director, Jérôme Bruhat, “climate disruption is a new situation” and “as an industrialist, the question is how we deal with the risk” of losing our raw materials.
Climate problem and yield
“Will it still be viable in ten years, in twenty years, in thirty years?” asks Julien Maubert. The topic is of crucial importance for the family business founded in 1850. “We have to find the right species or prepare the species to have less water and more heat,” he assures.
“In 50 years there must still be roses” and with less chemicals, he says.
In order to cope with climatic threats, the group is diversifying its sources and suppliers around the world: jasmine comes from Turkey and Egypt, vetiver from Haiti, rose from Bulgaria, Turkey, but also from Grasse, the perfume capital.
And bet on the BioPod: it is “a tool with which we can study the resistance of the plant to lack of water and heat,” assures Julien Maubert. The idea is to “create species that are more resilient to climatic challenges, but also species with better yields.” Currently it takes 3 tons of roses to produce one liter of essential oil.
According to Mr. Bruhat, natural perfumes, Robertet’s specialty, account for less than 10% of the perfume market. The group has more than 150 years of experience and achieved sales of perfumes and flavors of 376 million euros in the first half of 2023.
The company arouses interest: two Swiss giants in the industry, Givaudan and Firmenich, storm into the capital and the Maubert family has to join forces.
Robertet is the first customer to purchase a BioPod from Interstellar Lab. The start-up, which currently employs 33 people, is supported by France 2030, the government investment plan, which will finance 60% of the future BioPod factory next to the Ivry-sur-Seine hangar.
Interstellar Lab also raised €7 million from individuals, funds and BpiFrance, the French public investment bank.
“The goal is to sell 500 BioPods and aim for an IPO in five years,” says CEO Barbara Belvisi confidently.