Biomanufacturing company building facility in Richmond's Midwest Industrial Park

RICHMOND, Ind. — Richmond will soon host a facility that will be the only one of its kind in the United States. Liberation Labs, a large-scale precision fermentation manufacturer, is building the country's first purpose-built commercial-scale precision fermentation plant in Richmond's Midwest Industrial Park, according to a Liberation Labs release.

"Securing this partnership and investment from Liberation Labs is another milestone in our strong relationship with Governor Holcomb and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation,” Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said in the release.

“We are thrilled to add the expertise of Liberation Labs to our Industrial Park. Make no mistake, when a company of this caliber chooses to invest in Richmond, it's a resounding vote of confidence that we are moving in the right direction. With more jobs being created and such a strong business model, I am confident this is just the beginning of a long and mutually prosperous relationship."

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Liberation Labs is focused on enabling the commercial availability of bioproducts that will meet the growing demand from existing major consumer packaged goods and ingredient brands as well as from the emerging crop of precision fermentation-focused startups, the release states.

The new biomanufacturing facility will have a fermentation capacity of 600,000 liters with a fully dedicated downstream process. The company has begun placing orders for long-lead equipment and building the operations team. Groundbreaking is expected later this spring, and commercial production is expected by the end of 2024.

“The three things a biomanufacturing facility like ours needs are sugar, power and people, and Richmond, Indiana, has them all,” Mark Warner, co-founder and CEO of Liberation Labs, said in the release. “While sugar and power are commodities, a workforce experienced in manufacturing is not, which is why Richmond really stands out. We are thankful for the support the state and local community has provided us, and we can’t wait to break ground.”

The new facility, to be the 10th tenant in Richmond's Midwest Industrial Park, will be located on a 36-acre parcel within Phase I of the 700-acre park. This site offers "tremendous" logistical opportunities for the company, including:

● Shovel-ready site with necessary utility capacity

● Proximity to Interstate 70, the Norfolk Southern mainline and three regional airports for shipping and logistics

● Proximity to cost-advantaged carbon feedstocks

● Significant percentage of baseload power to facility is clean, solar energy

● Proximity to three large metropolitan areas, providing adequate qualified labor

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Liberation Labs will receive many "key incentives," including tax credits, grants, utility offsets, workforce-related incentives and discounts on the land purchase, all offered by Wayne County and the State of Indiana. The company expects to invest $115 million in the facility and plans to create an estimated 45 "well-paying" manufacturing jobs.

Most biomanufacturing today is in Europe, making production and shipping fees higher. With this project, Liberation Labs will increase the overall supply of bio-based consumer products and reduce their cost due to their manufacture and distribution in the United States.

“Next-generation technology is critical to future food security for people everywhere, and I am proud that Indiana is leading the charge,” Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers said in the release. “We are excited to welcome Liberation Labs to our growing ag-biosciences ecosystem. Liberation Labs will continue to enable companies to innovate while creating high-paying, quality career opportunities for Hoosiers.”

Zach Piatt is a reporter for The Palladium-Item. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.