Symbrosia scales algae production for methane reduction with help of new COO, Avery Kramer
Written by Kylie Tuitavuki
KAILUA-KONA, Hawai’i
Symbrosia, a Hawai’i-based cleantech startup that uses seaweed to tackle livestock methane emissions, announced today the appointment of Avery Kramer as Chief Operating Officer.
Kramer brings 15+ years of international experience in the algae industry, working on projects in North America, Europe, Africa, and Hawai'i. In 2007, he became the first employee at Cellana, a Royal Dutch Shell joint venture focused on production of novel biofuel feedstocks from microalgae. In that role he facilitated the construction of a world class algae pilot facility and led workflows in operations, quality assurance, and business development. He later consulted for a number of early-stage carbon reduction companies to streamline operations as they moved toward commercialization.
“I started working with algae because I thought it could make the world a better place. Many years have passed, but I still believe in algae’s potential and feel lucky to be part of the industry. Tackling methane emissions is a new approach and I’m excited about how potent A. taxiformis is at addressing greenhouse gas emissions. I also really appreciate the benefits it might have on cattle production. This could be a huge win for farmers in addition to addressing climate issues”
As Symbrosia begins to scale operations and get product into ranchers’ hands, Kramer joins the team to help establish Symbrosia as a market leader for methane reducing seaweed. He says that “Symbrosia is interesting because it is doing more than bringing a valuable product to market. Alexia [Akbay] is doing a great job of creating a business model for start-ups that fosters creativity and innovation, while building an organization that prioritizes the work experience and not just the work itself”.
Symbrosia will draw on Kramer’s prior operating experience within the algae industry to chart a path forward that prioritizes consistent production, high-quality product, and rapid scale-up. “Part of my role is to put systems in place to quickly get us to the next stage. Symbrosia is a forward-thinking company that has the opportunity to deliver an important algal product to an enormous market while demonstrating a business model that respects employees.” His appointment marks an inflection point for Symbrosia as the company devotes more focus, energy, and resources to turning years of research on a novel species into a scalable production system.
“Avery brings a wealth of experience in both the algae industry and startup operations. He will be an invaluable addition to the team, channeling our research successes into a competitive edge as we scale production of a high-quality Asparagopsis taxiformis feed product.”
Kramer received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley and manages a small coffee farm with his family in Kailua-Kona, HI.
To learn more about Symbrosia and our ongoing projects, please visit https://symbrosia.co/
About Symbrosia
Symbrosia has developed a natural seaweed feed additive made from the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis that reduces livestock methane emissions by 80%+. Called “the seaweed that could save the planet” by The Verge, Forbes, and The Washington Post, our product is setting a new standard in the US beef, dairy, and apparel industries y enabling the creation of the world’s most sustainable animal products. Symbrosia breeds and cultivates fast-growing seaweed strains and develops them into high-value products. Our customer-first approach boosts margins, creates products for both ranchers and other algae growers, and is laying the groundwork for a global industry around seaweed for livestock methane reduction. Symbrosia is scaling production rapidly and partnering with researchers, ranchers, distributors, and brands to build supply chains that reward producers for producing low-methane animal products.