For more than 15 years, the father-son team that created technology which help turn chicken feathers into chicken feed have heard all the chicken jokes there are. You know, turning chicken droppings into … well, whatever.

But BRI International is serious about feeding the world, and a new product as well as a new distributor program just help make that dream a reality.

“Yes, we’ve heard the jokes about ‘not just chicken feed’ and ‘tastes like chicken,'”  Dr. Giles Shih, the firm’s chairman and CEO, tells WRAL TechWire.

“Joking aside, feeding the world in a sustainable way is a serious challenge.

“We have come a long way from our original technology and continue to bring innovative, scientifically proven solutions to improve animal health and nutrition.

“All of our products are designed to manage rising feed costs and feed ingredient quality variations in a way that is safe for animals, humans and the environment.”

BRI develops and produces enzymes that are designed to improve the nutritional quality of animal feed.

WRAL TechWire has followed the evolution of BRI dating back to our launch in 2002. So it was very interesting to catch up with Shih, who launched the firm along with Dr. Jason Shih. The elder Shih was a professor at NCSU’s Department of Poultry Science from 1976-2009, and during that time he devloped the technology that slowly but surely is having a huge impact on feed around the world.

The development of an enzyme that helped turned chicken feathers into protein led to the creation of a profitable, growing business – and a lot of jokes.

Latest Growing News

Earlier this week, BRI announced a shift in its distribution strategy and a new agreement targeting southwest populous southwest Asia as part of a strategy to sell an ever-growing line of products.

“Xylamax is a new product offering from BRI and Jubilant Life Sciences, based in India, will be the first to market and distribute Xylamax and [an older product] XylaQuick to large volume poultry producers, feed integrators, and animal health and nutrition consultants throughout India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan,” Shih explains.

The company describes its newest offering this way:

“Xylamax, BRI’s newest product, is an intrinsically thermo-stable xylanase feed enzyme delivering consistent, all-around performance in both nutrient release and absorption. It has been scientifically proven to help producers optimize animal nutrition safely and sustainably. The unique XylaQuick (Xylamax Qualitative In-feed Colorimetric Kit) test allows for easy, on-site testing to confirm that Xylamax has been added and properly distributed within the animal feed.”

However, the deal doesn’t affect a global distribution agreement for. Versazyme – what Shih calls “BRI’s flagship product for poultry and swine nutrition.” It is sold worldwide exclusively by Novus International.

So why make the changes?

“BRI is very proud of the successful relationships we have developed with suppliers and distributors worldwide and we even as we continue grow those businesses, we also seek new partnerships as our portfolio of animal health and nutrition products expands, and as our market needs in various global areas evolve,” Shih says.

But targeting regional distributors also makes sense, he adds.

“We feel that regional distributors make sense for BRI’s new Xylamax product because in many cases, regional distributors are closer to the customer and understand the needs and trends in the local markets better. While it may take more time and resources to manage these geographically dispersed relationships, in the long run regional sales agents help drive BRI’s growth because better feedback and communication with the markets will help BRI be more responsive to customer’s needs.”

Growing Its Work Force

BRI, which is based in Durham, continues to expand its staff as well as product line. 

“As BRI grows, we continue to hire new employees to fill new positions in our manufacturing facility in Apex and our corporate office and R&D center in Durham,” Shih says.

“We are currently seeking to fill positions in areas such as finance, research and sales and marketing. Please visit http://briworldwide.com/careers-at-bri/ for more information.”

BRI manufactures its enzymes that augment feed locally and overseas. Shih says the company is required to meet rigorous standards.

A Green Company – i.e. Profitable

BRI also is making money – and appropriately enough is growing organically. 

“Yes, we are profitable and are not seeking additional funding at this time,” Shih says. “Since the founding of the company 15 years ago, BRI has achieved a steady rate of growth and is moving forward into the next phase of our multi-product, global business strategy.

“Our objective is to continue to develop high-value, unique solutions that are economically and sustainably viable for our customers as a private and self-funded enterprise. That has been our vision from the beginning.”

By the way, Shih also has been very actively involved in the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, seeking to share his lessons learned with others.

Just don’t tell him any chicken ….. jokes.