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OUR VISION

The vast majority (90%) of Americans are falling short of their dietary fiber needs despite growing awareness of its many health benefits. Food manufacturers have yet to find the perfect fiber ingredient – one that is natural, functional, and versatile – to fill the 2-million-ton annual fiber gap in the US alone. 

Meanwhile, nature’s best dietary fiber, arabinoxylan, has laid dormant in plant materials left behind and processed out of our modern food system. Arabinoxylan is an exceptional soluble dietary fiber with clinically proven health benefits and superior tolerance in the gut. 

Only COMET has the patented upcycling technology needed to unlock arabinoxylan’s full potential and make it available in our proprietary line of ARRABINA dietary fibers. ARRABINA’s versatility makes it easy to add the clinically proven benefits of arabinoxylan to ANY food/beverage/supplement application and help close the fiber gap.

In the united states alone...

  • About 300 million consumers are falling short of their dietary fiber needs
  • About 2 million tons per year dietary fiber gap

Only comet can meet this opportunity:

  • No new acres and low environmental impact
  • No taste, color, cost or performance trade offs
  • No fear of GI distress

See How

Compares to Other Prebiotic Fibers

Our facilities

Comet Bio corporate Headquarters

Corporate Headquarters

London, Ontario

COMET’s Corporate Headquarters is located in London, Ontario and houses the company’s technology center, including a product laboratory. COMET’s technology center ensures high quality standards for ingredients and innovates to extend products’ functional benefits.
Comet Bio US Headquarters

U.S. Headquarters

Schaumburg, IL

COMET’s U.S. Headquarters is strategically located in the epicenter of US food and beverage production in the Chicago suburbs. COMET’s facility includes an application lab to test new product opportunities. The Schaumburg office is responsible for COMET’s commercial, marketing and administrative business functions.

Meliora Bio

kalundborg, denmark

Meliora Bio has a modern state of the art biorefinery upcycling straw for bioethanol, prebiotics, and lignin. The refinery was built by Ørsted in 2009, and since 2020 it has been a part of Karsten Ree Holding. The plant is part of a sustainable industrial park and utilizes biomass based steam, wind energy, and other green technology.

In 2021, COMET partnered with Meliora Bio to build out and expand the existing plant using our patented upcycling techonology. The dedicated manufacturing facility supplies over 4 million kilograms of ARRABINA annually.

Our Team

The COMET management team brings a wide range of cross-disciplinary experience. The team is aligned around the challenge of developing large scale food technologies to cost-effectively deliver sustainable, healthy and innovative products. With over a century of experience in clean technology development, finance and associated product and market development, the leadership team is ready to usher in the future of dietary fiber.

Andrew Richard

Founder and Chief Technology Officer

Loula Merkel

Chief Executive Officer

Doug Gray

Vice President, Engineering

Dennis D'Agostino

Vice President, Operations

Robert Turner

Vice President of Sales

Hannah Ackermann, RD

VP of Marketing & Nutrition Affairs

ORGANIZATIONS

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CONTACT US

Corporate Headquarters

700 Collip Circle, Suite 209 London, ON N6G 4X8

U.S. Headquarters

1051 Perimeter Drive, Suite 1150 Schaumburg, IL 60173

Andrew Richard

As COMET’s founder Andrew brings expertise in process development and commercialization of new technologies. He is a recognized expert in the field of biomass conversion, pre-treatment, biorefining and biomass based fuels and chemicals, including cellulosic sugars. Andrew has a successful track record of developing and scaling biomass conversion processes and the production of linerboard pulp from ryegrass straw, including converting cellulose derivatives, ethanol and butanol, into transportation fuels.

Loula Merkel

Loula has over 15 years of experience in agribusiness and energy industries. Previously the Director of Project Development at Coskata, she was responsible for the development and financing of commercial projects. She also spent 8 years at McKinsey & Company, serving clients at the intersection of chemicals and agribusiness industries, including multinational fertilizer, agrochemical and food companies.

Doug Gray

Doug has a strong background in leading the engineering of new technologies from concept through to the design, construction, commissioning, and final operations of the equipment.  He has extensive experience in engineering and implementing biomass conversion processes and facilities with overall project and budgetary responsibility.  He has been intimately involved with advanced technologies in the environmental remediation, alternative fuels, green chemistry, and food industries. Doug is a former Air Force officer with experience in aircraft operations, aerospace systems, reliability analysis and the management of large capital acquisition projects.  Doug is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Dennis D’Agostino

Dennis has 25 years of experience in project management, project engineering, process development, equipment design and plant operations in the field of biomass conversion, pre-treatment, biomass based fuels and environmental technology industries. Dennis has proven ability to organize, manage and implement technical projects from inception to commissioning and is an expert in conducting technical evaluations, design layouts and improving production capacity and quality in biomass programs.

Bob Turner

Bob is an experienced Food Industry Sales, Marketing, and Management professional driven by a strong desire to help his customers and his teams achieve success. He takes pride in building long-term relationships and in being regarded as a trusted partner.  With numerous professional accomplishments giving rise to extensive travel experience from leading global teams, Bob has truly seen how food is the unifying thread that connects us all, personally and professionally.  Bob is eager to bring his passion and energy to helping the Comet team achieve the next level of success

Hannah Ackermann

Hannah has over a decade of experience working within the intersection of nutrition and business. As a Registered Dietitian, Hannah uses her expertise in nutrition to direct COMET’s clinical trial strategy, educate customers on Arrabina’s health claims, and tell its ingredient story. Before joining COMET, Hannah worked at global market research and public relations firms, providing nutrition consulting for the leading food, beverage, and food service brands.