Zest Biotech

Zest Biotech manufactures biostimulant products for horticulture, viticulture, pasture and livestock production. Its Agrizest and Biozest products use elicitors of the phenylpropanoid pathway to activate plants' natural growth, defence and repair responses rather than add nutrients or act as pesticides or hormones. The products are intended for kiwifruit, vineyards, apples, tree and vine crops, floriculture, annual crops, dairy farming and dry-stock systems. They are used to support plant health, pasture performance, crop productivity and livestock outcomes, including milk and meat production from pasture-based systems.

The company manufactures its products in New Zealand and has supplied growers and farmers for more than 15 years of commercial use and validation. Its products are BioGro Certified, ACVM exempt, and stated to contain no genetically modified material or hormones. Zest Biotech is a family-run business led by founder and chief scientist Nathan Balasingham and chief operating officer Usha Amaranathan. The business draws on systems biology and environmental management expertise, with research resources including trial summaries, case studies and crop-specific trial compendiums for kiwifruit, apples, vineyards, pasture and dairy applications.