3 Questions to Thi Banchereau: Innovation Director at UTRIX
At UTRIX we have a dedicated Innovation Team, focused on providing the feed and animal industry with cutting-edge solutions supported by expert services. This enables us to expand our presence beyond Lebanon, into the Middle East and Africa.
The team is led by Thi Banchereau, bringing over 20+ years of global experience in the animal nutrition and feed additives industry, combining deep technical expertise with global business leadership. She held various key senior roles in her career and joined UTRIX in January 2023 as the Innovation Director, leading five strategic departments: R&D, Technical & Formulation, Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, and Lab & Quality Control.
But what does innovation at UTRIX entail? Thi has the answers.
What are the main drivers for UTRIX’ innovation agenda?
“Our innovation agenda is, and should always be, directly linked to the challenges and realities we observe in the field/on the farms. One of the MEA region’s major hurdles remains the high cost and limited availability of feed, largely due to a dependency on imported raw materials. Additionally, farmers must contend with harsh environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures and climatic stress, both contributing to increased disease pressure and animal health issues. In response, we strongly focus and innovate around optimizing animal diets on different levels: through reformulated feed solutions, targeted feed additives, and animal health products that enhance animal resilience and performance. These include, for example, products designed to support gut health, immunity, mycotoxin control, liver-kidney function, and mitigate the effects of heat stress. In addition, we offer a portfolio of farm management tools and services that further support animal health and wellbeing.
Another key concern that drives our innovation pipeline is the inconsistent or poor biosecurity plans and protocols that we still experience in parts of the MEA region, leading to unnecessary animal health and welfare issues, such as high mortality rates in flocks. UTRIX addresses this by promoting biosecurity awareness and farm management support, alongside developing on-farm nutritional and biosecurity solutions, minimizing unnecessary costs and improving farm outcomes.”
Which innovations can we expect in the coming years?
“Looking to the future, we are entering an exciting phase of growth and innovation at UTRIX. Between 2025 and 2026, UTRIX plans to launch 10 new products for better animal performance, water quality & safety, and animal health and wellbeing. These new product launches include both novel feed additives targeted at feed mills as well as nutritional specialties designed for direct sale to farmers. Again, all these products are developed with specific challenges in mind, such as heat stress or gut health issues among others.
But innovation doesn’t stop at the molecule. We are developing new galenic solutions that transform how nutrients are protected, delivered, and released, optimizing performance while minimizing waste. Whether in powder, liquid, or gel form, or encapsulated for better stability and absorption, every UTRIX innovation is designed with a practical application in mind. This focus ensures that new solutions are not only effective, but also easy to integrate into diverse farming operations and for different challenges.”
How do you foster a culture of innovation within UTRIX?
“Since its founding, UTRIX has transformed from a trading-focused company into a product-driven enterprise with a strong innovation engine. When I joined in 2023, we had a small innovation team, which made sense at the time. We are still a young company today, but we have shifted toward developing our own products and as a result, our innovation team is now well organized and has grown a lot. Fostering an innovation mindset simply has become essential for expanding our export position and building customer trust.
Today, innovation at UTRIX is embedded across five departments: R&D, Technical & Formulation, Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, and Laboratory & Quality Control. I strongly encourage cross-functional collaboration between these teams, supported by training, education, and monthly meetings to ensure product development is guided by real customer/farm insights and issues. We also embrace open innovation, partnering with suppliers to co-develop products and collaborating with customers who open their farms for product testing and validation. For me, all these efforts combined are crucial to become a leading player of feed additives and services in our region and beyond. In other words: Expect many more innovations from UTRIX to come in the coming years!”
Have a look at our portfolio of innovative solutions here: https://www.utrix.com/our-solutions/