Blue Marble Biomaterials Opens In Missoula, Hires People

A Seattle based company that produces fragrances and flavorings out of plant material is up and running in Missoula. Blue Marble Biomaterials http://bluemarblebio.com/ is working on alternatives to petroleum based products.

The green company has plans to expand its operations and its workforce in Missoula. The company uses natural agricultural wastes like grass clippings, coffee grounds, or timber products.

Bacteria converts materials like that into fragrances you’d find in cosmetics or flavorings. It might be Juicy Fruit or Tutti Fruiti.

"We bring it in and we ferment it like beer," said chief scientific officer James Stephens. "The only difference between us and a major brewery on that part of it is we use about 60,000 different organisms in a complex ecology."

MISSOULA COUNTY
By Kevin Maki

Full Story: http://www.nbcmontana.com/keci/28981053/detail.html