A circular economy approach creates new revenue streams
Ovomas S.A.S. was founded in 2020 in Ecuador by Luis Sánchez and Renato Pérez in response to the strong price fluctuations in the country's egg market. The company specialises in the production of pasteurised liquid egg products, including liquid egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs, while preserving the nutritional properties of fresh eggs.
As part of its operations, Ovomas generates around five tonnes of eggshell waste per month. This waste resulted in annual environmental tax costs of approximately USD 4,000, as well as pest infestations, unpleasant odours, a higher carbon footprint, and risks related to aquifer contamination and pathogen release.
"These environmental and economic challenges became the main motivation for developing a Sustainable Chemistry solution"
, explains Luis.In response, the company adopted a circular economy approach, reintegrating eggshell waste into its production process and transforming it into high-value products such as nutraceutical capsules made from testacea membranes and, most importantly, USP-grade (United States Pharmacopeia) calcium citrate tetrahydrate. Ensuring consistent USP-grade purity throughout the scale-up process was one of the project's main technical challenges, which the team successfully overcame.
Ovomas combines expertise from multiple disciplines. Luis Sánchez, an economist, serves as General Manager, while chemical engineer Renato Pérez leads operations as Director of Operations. Mateo Oleas, a chemist, heads research and development and leads the production of high-purity calcium citrate from eggshells. Pablo Carrión, a chemical engineer, oversees manufacturing as Head of Production, bringing extensive experience in quality control and production systems. The team also includes Gabriela Jerez (Biotechnology Engineer and Head of Quality Control), Joselyn Bonilla (Veterinary Doctor and Head of Poultry), and Miguel Oyaque, Head of the liquid egg products plant.
The name Ovomas S.A.S. combines “ovo,” meaning egg, with “mas,” referring to mass or derived products, reflecting the company's focus on egg-based products and their derivatives. In addition, “más” means “more” in Spanish, symbolizing the company's commitment to delivering greater quality, more options, and continuous improvement.
From waste to a high-value raw material
The core innovation of Ovomas lies in transforming eggshell waste, approximately five tonnes per month, into calcium citrate tetrahydrate USP, a high-value pharmaceutical ingredient with a purity of 97.5 - 100%.
The process begins at the “Bio Materiales Circulares” plant, where eggshells are sanitised according to strict food safety standards to remove impurities and microorganisms. The testacea membrane is then separated and valorised as a secondary product in the form of 250 mg nutraceutical capsules. The cleaned shells undergo thermal treatment and react with citric acid to produce calcium citrate tetrahydrate. The resulting product is filtered, dried, and subjected to rigorous quality control procedures before being packaged in 25 kg bags. The calcium citrate serves as a raw material for the production of vitamin-enriched gummies and daily supplement sachets.
"The idea emerged from the need to address the significant volume of eggshell waste generated by our liquid egg production process"
, explains Renato.Rather than incurring disposal costs and generating environmental impacts through landfill disposal, Ovomas chose to valorise this renewable, calcium-rich resource through a circular economy approach. The company converts what was once a waste stream into a high-value pharmaceutical product.
At the same time, the Ecuadorian market offered only low-purity calcium citrate products, typically around 30% purity, which fell far short of the USP standard of 97.5 - 100%. As a result, manufacturers depended on imported high-quality products, facing lead times of up to four months and significant transportation costs.
Unlike conventional calcium production, which relies on limestone extraction and processing − a carbon-intensive practice associated with high CO₂ emissions, ecosystem degradation, deforestation, and the extensive use of fossil fuels and strong acids − Ovomas uses a renewable waste stream in a cleaner, safer, and more resource-efficient process. This approach reduces greenhouse gas emissions, prevents methane generation from landfill decomposition, lowers the risk of aquifer contamination, and delivers a product with higher purity and bioavailability than many imported or locally available alternatives.
Looking ahead, Ovomas aims to further improve the circularity and resource efficiency of its production process.
Next up at Ovomas
Currently Ovomas focuses on commercializing Calcium Citrate Tetrahydrate USP, as well as gummies and sachets of calcium citrate, and strengthening quality certification to meet international standards. In the future they plan to secure regulatory approvals in Europe, the USA, and Asia and develop additional circular economy product lines, like the production of egg oil from the excess generated during egg white processing.
With their innovative approach, Ovomas, who joined the ISC3 Global Start-up Service in August 2025, actively contributes to SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG13 (Climate Action), SDG17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
