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RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
\u2018What I wanted to do is applied research where I can deliver something to the farmers and they can use it, and I can see with my own eyes the difference it\u2019s making,\u2019 says Manas Banerjee, CEO and founder of XiteBio Technologies Inc.<\/p>\n
After earning a PhD in soil microbiology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Banerjee moved to Canada. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, a research associate at the University of Manitoba and an adjunct professor at Western University (Ontario), publishing numerous papers and book chapters related to soil science.<\/p>\n
Along the way, he worked as a scientist for Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, and as the director of research and development at a privately owned Canadian seed company.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, neither publishing papers about microbiology nor working under other people fit into Banerjee\u2019s vision for his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of scientists all over the world and every 30 seconds there\u2019s a paper coming out \u2014 (but) nobody cares about the research paper coming out,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat I wanted to do is applied research where I can deliver something to the farmers and they can use it, and I can see with my own eyes the difference it\u2019s making.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, in March 2010, Banerjee started XiteBio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was teaching basically plant microbial interaction, and I taught all those things at the master\u2019s and PhD level,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then I said, \u2018If I really believe this, why not put my skin in the game and see what happens?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
XiteBio\u2019s mission is to build relationships with farmers by providing easy to use microbial innovations that increase production and reduce input costs.<\/p>\n
The company has developed patented technologies producing seed inoculants using naturally occurring bacteria. These technologies invigorate the existing soil and create synergy between the introduced bacteria and the bacteria already in the soil.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Technologists Lynette Loredo (front) and Susan Dyck at work at XiteBio Technologies Inc., at 3194 St Mary\u2019s Rd.<\/p>\n The result is farmers don\u2019t have to use more fertilizer, but crops are consistent and uniform. XiteBio also makes its products straightforward to use.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s three pillars of product development, according to Banerjee, are ease of application, ease of application and ease of application.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has to fit like a glove to a farmer\u2019s hand \u2014 only then are they going to use it,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to change their management system because you have a good product or they\u2019re not going to buy a $10,000 (piece of) equipment to use your product, so we have to pull our hairs and come up with something that they will like.\u201d<\/p>\n Those products are developed in-house at XiteBio\u2019s 5,500-square-foot innovation, research and development facility, which sits on four acres of land on St Mary\u2019s Road. The company also has a 10,000-sq.-ft. quality assurance and distribution centre in Headingley.<\/p>\n The company employs 16 people, half of them in Manitoba.<\/p>\n While Banerjee declines to disclose XiteBio\u2019s annual revenue, he estimates, as of last year, farmers have used the company\u2019s seven products on more than 35 million acres of land.<\/p>\n Customer retention hovers between 80 and 85 per cent, he says, adding, \u201cI probably know more than 80 per cent of my customers.\u201d<\/p>\n One of them is Jake Ayre. He and his parents own and operate Southern Seeds, a pedigree seed retailer near Minto.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Dyck works on culture counting.<\/p>\n The business has sold XiteBio\u2019s products for at least 10 years, Ayre says, and he and his father use them on their 4,500-acre farm.<\/p>\n \u201cManas is always available for any questions we might have about the products, as he is not only the CEO but one of the architects behind the product,\u201d Ayre says. \u201cHaving that local manufacturing, that local support and also something that\u2019s been tried and tested in Manitoba (is important).\u201d<\/p>\n Farmers aren\u2019t immune to geopolitical tensions, he adds. As the war in Iran continues, they face soaring fertilizer and fuel prices as the spring planting season approaches.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen there\u2019s a trade disruption or with the Strait of Hormuz closed, it can really affect product availability and pricing,\u201d Ayre says. \u201cSo, the more local (products available), the better.\u201d<\/p>\n XiteBio offers a consistent product and stands behind its guarantees, Ayre says, adding that Banerjee\u2019s life experience and knowledge about biology and agriculture make him \u201cone of the most interesting people you can sit down and have a coffee or beer with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c(He\u2019s) very knowledgeable and he can also explain it down to someone who doesn\u2019t have a PhD like he has,\u201d Ayre says. \u201cThat\u2019s a skillset that not everyone has. But he\u2019s also very open to learn or chat or give feedback \u2026 His mind is always looking for not only things that work now, but into the future. He\u2019s got great foresight.\u201d<\/p>\n XiteBio\u2019s plan for its first 15 years was to develop a strong presence in North America, Banerjee says. The company\u2019s goal for the next five is to introduce its products overseas.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cFrance, Turkey, Ukraine, China and India have tested our product and (the results) are positive,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n A sample of the commercial agricultural biotech supplies the Winnipeg company makes.<\/p>\n Banerjee earned a terminal degree, has a shelf in his office that includes books he\u2019s contributed to, holds a handful of patents and has been recognized with awards \u2014 including a nomination in 2017 for the prestigious Manning Innovation Award, which honours innovators who have developed and successfully marketed a new concept, process or procedure.<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s quite possible what Banerjee is most proud of is XiteBio\u2019s commitment to customers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important for a company like us to be sensitive to the customer,\u201d Banerjee says. \u201cWhat are their needs and how can we help them \u2026 so that they have one less problem to solve, one less problem to tackle.\u201d<\/p>\n aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Aaron Epp Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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