Pro Farm Group, the team of biological researchers previously working for Marrone Bio Innovations Inc., has renewed its lease in Davis for 31,000 square feet of space in two buildings in University Research Park.
It is a sign that Pro Farm Group, a subsidiary of Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. (Nasdaq: BIOX) that bought Marrone two years ago, is still committed to developing its biopesticides and biological controls locally.
Argentina-based Bioceres bought Marrone Bio in March 2022 for $236 million. Bioceres works in agricultural bionutrition and seed care products. Marrone developed and sold biological controls to replace chemicals in farming. It was a pioneer in developing biological controls for agriculture that replace or reduce the need for chemical pest controls. It was founded in Davis to have access to students from the University of California Davis, one of the world’s premiere agriculture research universities.
Since the Argentinian company bought Marrone, there has been little word locally of its commitment to staying in Davis.
Just before Marrone was sold to Bioceres, it moved its corporate headquarters to Raleigh, North Carolina, to be closer to more customers and to be part of the Research Triangle combination of research universities and companies.
Pro Farm wasn’t available to comment about local plans, and emails to Bioceres in Argentina weren’t returned.
Marrone Bio, and then Bioceres, had previously leased lab and office space through three buildings in the research park, but with the lease renewal, the company reconfigured the space to have all its offices and labs in two buildings, said Jim Gray, leasing broker with Nahz Anvary with Kidder Mathews, representing University Research Park.
Rob Thomas, a Cushman & Wakefield commercial real estate broker representing Pro Farm Group, posted on LinkedIn that Bioceres renewed its lease. Thomas didn’t return calls for more information.
Pro Farm Group develops biopesticides, biofungicides and plant growth stimulants using naturally occurring plant extracts and microoganisms. In some cases it concentrates natural effects. For other products, it develops more effective products using fermentation.
The products listed on Pro Farm’s site include biofungicide Regalia, bioinsecticide Grandevo, heat stress reducer Haven and nematicide Majestene, which were all branded products of Marrone Bio before the sale.
Marrone Bio was founded in 2006 by scientist and biological control pioneer Pam Marrone, who served as the company’s CEO and took it public on the Nasdaq Stock Market in 2013. She was CEO until she retired from her namesake company in 2020. Last year, Marrone started another biological controls company, Invasive Species Corp. in Davis, to work on some of the technologies and potential products orphaned by the sale of Marrone Bio to Bioceres.
University Research Park has 17 buildings on 33 acres with a total of 306,000 square feet. The park is owned and managed by Sacramento-based Fulcrum Property.
