Arda Biomaterials, based in London, UK, was founded in 2022 by Dr. Edward “TJ” Mitchell, a supramolecular chemist, and Brett Cotten, a biotechnology strategist.
The company’s genesis began with a shared ambition to eliminate animal-derived and plastic inputs from everyday materials. Living near London's craft brewing district, the founders turned their attention to brewers’ spent grain—an abundant, protein-rich byproduct of the brewing industry. After kitchen-scale experiments and advanced supramolecular chemistry, they discovered how to restructure these recovered proteins into novel material structures.
Arda’s flagship innovation is New Grain™, a leather-like material produced entirely without animal components, rubber, or plastics. Unlike conventional and alternative leathers that rely on plastic coatings or synthetic binders, New Grain™ derives its performance, durability, and luxury hand-feel directly from restructured natural plant proteins, inspired by the molecular architecture of animal skin.
For the beauty industry, New Grain™ offers a high-performance, sustainable alternative for cosmetic pouches, lipstick wraps, and point-of-sale displays. Arda Biomaterial claims New Grain is produced with up to 96% fewer CO₂ emissions than traditional cow leather and 72% less than synthetic leather. It bridges the gap between the scalability of plastics and the luxury aesthetics of animal leather, with a lower environmental footprint.