Andermatt have been pioneers since our conception by Dr Martin Andermatt and Dr Isabel Andermatt in 1988. That innovative mindset continues today running through our company DNA. As we grow, we continue to being new ideas, ways of working and products to our markets. This constant development can come from either internal research and development or by collaborating with similar minder innovators to support them to bring their ideas to market.
At Andermatt we pride ourselves on the relationships we build with our partners to support each other in providing solutions. These collaborations support our journey to a more sustainable future and our belief in Healthy Food and Healthy Environment, for All.
Within our product range you will find many living examples of these collaborations with small or start-up enterprises, a few of these can be found below.
Case Study 1: JDP Consulting
Jeremy is a design engineer by trade, now applying his creative mind to his six bee hives on the Sussex coast. Not content enough with how busy he was being kept looking after his hives, he wanted to use his skills to design a better way to help protect his bees from the risk of Asian hornet. This project started by designing a cost-effective devise for catching the high number of wasps that were in his apiary attacking hives and trying to rob them of the bees honey. This can be problem for beekeepers and once robbing starts at a hive there is little that can be done to protect the bees and their food. The wasps continue to steel honey and colony death is a common end. Launched in summer of 2023, the wasp ferrules Jeremy developed are printed by a 3D printer and allow any plastic container to be converted into a wasp trap.
Once finished, Jeremy then had the idea of extending the project to try and help efforts to control the invasion of non-native pest insect Asian hornet (Vespa velutina). The wasp trap ferrule was redesigned to accommodate the larger Asian hornet. The ferrules had already been designed to capture native bumblebees and were further designed to allow the escape of wasps, the insect the ferrule had originally been designed to catch. This then resulted in an Asian hornet specific trap which could be efficiently produced and was suitable for use as part of APHAs (Animal and Plant Health Agency) Asian hornet monitoring program. Jeremy can be followed on Instagram (@boshambees) and more details about the journey to develop an Asian hornet trap followed here.
Case Study 2: Caplin Tech
Founded in Spring of 2023 within the rolling hills of North Wales, Kevin Caplin wanted to find a better way to use the wool shorn from sheep on his farm. Seen through his eyes as an undervalued resource, there was surely a better way to utilise the sheeps wool which was costing him more to sheer per sheep than each fleece was sold for. A chemist by training, having worked with a number of big companies on various chemistry-related projects he was aware that in response to public awareness fuelling consumer demand manufacturers were increasingly looking for more environmentally sensitive sources for ingredients they were using. Maybe the wool he was having to sheer from his flock would be able to contribute towards this, it did after all keep the ewes and rams dry and warm through what could be harsh Welsh mountain winter weather.
Further investigating led him to Lanolin, a waxy substance naturally produced by sheep to protect their wool. When the lanolin covers the surface of wool strands it gives the wool water repellent properties allowing it to keep the sheep beneath the fleece warm and dry. If this lanolin oil could be extracted from the fleece after the sheep has been shorn, could it be utilised as an ingredient to replace synthetically manufactured or petroleum-derived waxes? Over the following months securing some start-up funding support from the Welsh Government, Caplin Tech developed their lanolin extraction, purification and formulation processes. Kevin's chemistry background has allowed lanolin to be used as the backbone to create formulations to restore natural oils to wooden furniture, protect outdoor wood in decking, form a protective barrier on metal surfaces to prevent rusting and even create an odour-free fly attractant for use around the house. Caplin Tech continue to fund studies at various Welsh universities to demonstrate the beneficial properties of Welsh lanolin as a locally sourced more sustainable input for a wide range of products.
Case Study 3: Apisolis
As a beekeeper just outside Toulouse in Southern France, Damien has always been trying to find better ways to handle his bees. As with all beekeepers, disturbing the hive is kept to a minimum but at certain times of the year and for certain activities it is unavoidable. It is whilst opening the hives either for inspections, to make a treatment or to harvest the honey that he aims to reduce the stress to both him-self and the bees alike. When opening a hive, beekeepers are never far away from their smoker, a hand-held device which can be used to puff plumes of smoke from a burning material over the bees to calm them. It was whilst repeatedly doing this though that Damien thought there must be a better way.
On some occasions the smoke did not have the calming effect on the bee colony, then there was the effect on himself both from breathing in the burning fumes and the smell it left on his clothes. In addition to this the very serious risk of having a burning material either walking around potentially dry land in summer months or in his car whilst driving between his different apiary sites. Damien decided to try and use his love of technology to try and find a solution to help his love of his honeybees.
So the Apisolis smoker was born. Combining technology ideas from the vaping industry with the trusted smoker bellows and a unique plant extract-based vapour Damien designed a healthier and safer smoker. Running from battery power which can be charged from a USB, the Apisolis is used in an identical way to the traditional burning smoker requiring no change in behaviour from the beekeeper. A safer product, which maintains the feel, convenience and performance of a traditional smoker.
More information on the Apisolis, including where to buy it can be found here
The above are just a few of the examples of where a partnership with Andermatt has helped bring new technology to the market. Inspired by our history and driven by a desire to bring novel, more sustainable technologies to the market, we are always keen to hear from entrepreneurs, start-ups or anyone with an idea. If you have a product and are looking for a partner to help commercialise it for use in agricultural crops, farm animal health, beekeeping or the Home & Garden market please feel free to contact us.