Juan Ignacio Soldo and Mateo Bertolotti are biotechnology engineering students at ORT’s School of Engineering. They are currently in their seventh semester of the program. However, this is not the only activity that fills their days. For quite some time now, both have been dedicating hours of work to Fermtech, a startup they founded together, which will launch Rebelión, its first product, in the coming days.
Response to a local demand
Fermtech is a platform dedicated to developing non-alcoholic alternatives to beverages that traditionally contain alcohol, such as beer and wine. To create these beverages, Juan Ignacio and Mateo use bioprocess engineering—a combination of biological, chemical, and technological techniques, along with various engineering principles—with a focus on problem-solving.
In this regard, Juan Ignacio explains: “The problem we need to solve, in this case, is how to preserve the sensory characteristics of the beverage without the presence of alcohol. So, we study the traditional production process—for example, that of beer—and identify where we can apply our knowledge to solve that problem.”
When asked how the idea to create Fermtech came about, both entrepreneurs explain that, after observing a growing interest in a healthier and more mindful lifestyle in Europe and South America, they identified an opportunity in the local market: while there are non-alcoholic industrial beers, there was no non-alcoholic alternative to craft beer.
Rebellion, the first product
And so, Rebelión arrives at Fermtech and on the Uruguayan market: the startup’s first product and the country’s first non-alcoholic craft beer.
As both entrepreneurs explain, this is a brand that’s here to stay: “It’s a beer with its own distinct character that aims to break down the stereotypes often associated with people who drink non-alcoholic beverages,” they say.
The launch of Rebelión took place this Friday, April 22, at the Ferrando Market. The plan is to hold an event at the Orientales, la Patria y la Birra bar. Afterward, the product will enter the beer market and the non-alcoholic beverage market. With this beer, Fermtech is targeting a young, modern audience that wants to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Rebelión is a beer with an alcohol content of less than 0.5%, which, under Uruguayan law, qualifies it as a non-alcoholic beverage. However, as Juan Ignacio and Mateo explain, has same body, flavors, and aromas as a traditional beer.
Although they have succeeded in creating a beer with less than 0.5% alcohol that retains the characteristics of the traditional beverage, both entrepreneurs agree that they will continue to research and explore biotechnological methods to develop an alcohol-free version with the same sensory qualities.
His career and the support he has received
Since they first came up with this idea, all the knowledge they’ve gained during their studies has been essential: “This project involves many aspects of biotechnology, but also many aspects of business and industry,” explain the biotechnology engineering students at ORT, who say that, in one way or another, every course they’ve taken has contributed to the project.
In this regard, they note: “Microbiology, transport phenomena in industrial-scale processes, bioprocessing, organic chemistry, and biochemistry are some of the areas of expertise we need at Fermtech.” Furthermore, Juan Ignacio and Mateo are confident that the courses they have yet to take will also be essential to the startup’s growth.
As for the CIE and the CBI+I, Fermtech’s co-founders say that both have played a key role in this process: “We came up with an idea, shared it with Carlos Sanguinetti, director of the CBI+I, and he referred us to Deborah Szwedzki, who became our mentor in business, commercial, and intellectual matters,” they explain. In addition, Eliana Nervi, a biotechnology engineer from ORT and technical mentor in the laboratory area, worked alongside Deborah.
As a result, working closely with both mentors and with the support of ORT’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Center, Juan Ignacio Soldo and Mateo Bertolotti have grown both technically and in terms of business acumen.
This has been—so far—the journey of Fermtech, a startup with medium- and long-term goals that aims to establish itself as a leader in the industry.