The "Trade Heroes" series highlights Edmonton Region companies who have 'exportitude' — the mindset and commitment to think globally when it comes to their business. It's brought to you by Edmonton Global.
The work that Future Fields does sounds like science fiction: they use fruit flies as tiny living factories, or 'bioreactors,' to produce recombinant proteins. These specialized proteins are made by inserting new genetic instructions into the genetic code of an organism, and are essential in many areas of science and medicine.
"It's a broad class of products with various applications in the life sciences," co-founder and COO Jalene Anderson-Baron explained, highlighting that these proteins can range from growth factors and hormones to enzymes and cytokines.
Anderson-Baron and her husband Matt founded Future Fields nearly six years ago. Today, they operate from a Green-certified lab on the edge of downtown Edmonton with a team of 34.
The company's proprietary biomanufacturing method, called the EntoEngine™, works by inserting a gene into the genetic code of fruit flies while they are still eggs. As the flies mature and multiply, so does the inserted gene — allowing the production of the desired proteins, which can then be extracted and purified.
This process serves clients ranging from academic institutions to multinational biopharmaceutical companies; it's for any scientist that needs custom protein production.
"Since day one of commercialization, we've been exporting internationally," Anderson-Baron said. "It's a truly global industry."
Initially, Future Fields shipped to three or four countries, but today that number has grown to more than 20.
Anderson-Baron explained that this growth was not driven by a targeted export strategy but by demand from clients around the world, which required them to learn the ins and outs of international shipping on the fly.
"We knew nothing about exporting when we started," she admitted. "We didn't understand how trade agreements worked, how to ship dangerous goods, or even what was classified as a dangerous good. We had to learn how to work with freight forwarders, customs brokers, and navigate all the complexities of shipping. It was really a process of trial and error."
One of the things that helped Future Fields navigate this learning curve was the Trade Accelerator Program (TAP), which Anderson-Baron said provided a great introduction to the concepts and the shared language of exporting. Through the program, they were connected with an Alberta-based logistics company and created an export plan.
"That helped us realize that logistics can be a competitive advantage, especially in the life sciences, when getting products from point A to point B quickly is incredibly important," she said.
Anderson-Baron said the company has also benefited from the Trade Commissioner Service, access to the University of Alberta, and connections to the Edmonton Region's robust life sciences community.
Geography has not been a barrier. "We're always shocked at how quickly we can get products from the Edmonton Region to basically anywhere else in the world," Anderson-Baron said. "Generally, you can get your product anywhere from [the Region] within 48 hours, which is kind of mind boggling to me."
As a result, researchers worldwide have come to rely on Future Fields — and have gone on to spread word of the company and help the company gain even more clients.
The company's goal is to be the leading manufacturer of recombinant proteins in the world. "We're hoping to launch about 10 new products this year," Anderson-Baron said.
Looking ahead, Future Fields is in the process of building a manufacturing facility, located alongside its current R&D space. "This new facility will allow us to enter several new markets by enabling us to produce products at a higher quality standard than we currently can," Anderson-Baron said.
Photo: Future Fields co-founders Jalene and Matt Anderson-Baron (Supplied)
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