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Ag-West Bio has announced an undisclosed investment in IntelliYeast Laboratories, a Saskatchewan, Canada-based biotech company. IntelliYeast develops and commercialises yeast with optimised performance to enhance craft beer brewing. IntelliYeast’s can turn yeast into viable new products that “solve common problems for Saskatchewan’s microbrewing community”. Christopher Eskiw, CEO and co-founder of IntelliYeast, said: “We’ve developed proprietary methods for growing yeast that increase their viability and health. We can speed up fermentations, cutting two or three days – a 15–20% reduction – off a brewing cycle, which reduces labour costs and increases production.” Kyle Adams, Ag-West Bio’s director of investment and commercialisation, added: “IntelliYeast is exactly the type of company that Ag-West Bio is looking to support with an investment...It has good proof of concept and market traction and founders with diverse skillsets. It is an innovative company doing all the right things, regarding both technology and business.” The next step is connecting to brewers to provide one of IntelliYeast’s 200 strains of yeast, or to strengthen the house strains that microbrewers are already using. IntelliYeast’s co-founder Nicole Shoaf finished: “Our product is available and we’re ready for market”.