22-04-2025
‘It's all up in the air': the science companies exporting to America
Sean Smith's company, Eden Research, is on an admirable mission: 'We like wine and we want to save wine.' Eden's main product saves wine grapes from Botrytis cinerea, a fungal infection more commonly known as noble rot that can wipe out crops just before harvest.
It protects grapes in an unusual, but increasingly popular, way. 'It's not a chemical pesticide or fungicide, instead it uses plants' natural chemistry,' said Smith, 58, who has been chief executive of Eden for ten years. 'Regulatory and consumer pressure on the use of chemicals is feeding demand for natural solutions like ours to solve the problems facing farmers.'
Britain has long been a world leader in emerging science and technology, with particular strength in the life sciences sector
