How CH4 Global & Mitsubishi Plan to Change Farming Forever

When Steve Meller attended a conference in New Zealand six years ago, he wasn't expecting to found a company that could potentially transform the world’s largest industry.

But hearing a Pacific island Prime Minister describe relocating their citizens due to rising sea levels sparked something inside of him.

Steve, who had had a long and successful career in the corporate world with Procter & Gamble and an academic career as a PhD scientist, was always an individual with a passion for sustainability and climate action. 

However this was the moment that made him decide to take matters into his own hands.

At the time, Steve was living in California, where State Bill 1383 had come into force, mandating the reduction of methane emissions among farmers.

It just so happened that Steve had recently come across a particularly unique piece of research into a seemingly unremarkable type of seaweed named Asparagopsis, native to his homeland of Australia.

The research had found that Asparagopsis is able to reduce the methane emissions produced by livestock when it is incorporated into standard agricultural feed.

It was a lightbulb moment; suddenly, Steve had found his calling.

"Everything I've done in my career has actually led up to what we do now," he says.

He decided that he would use his skills and experience to mass produce Asparagopsis in an attempt to decarbonise the agriculture industry.

"The convergence of those three things at that point in time meant I knew there was a product that would be safe and effective. I knew that there was a large commercial market," recalls Steve. 

The story of CH4 Global and Methane Tamer

The name of the company Steve set up following his revelation was CH4 Global.

Using his connections from his time at Procter & Gamble and in the Silicon Valley start-up ecosystem, Steve assembled a leadership team with Fortune 100 pedigree, as well as a group of rigorous scientists to drive the development of the product.

At the heart of CH4 Global's vision is Methane Tamer, a fully finished commercial product containing Asparagopsis, which can be easily mixed into standard cattle feed.

Recent studies have shown that Methane Tamer can reduce the amount of methane cattle emit by up to 90%, a quite staggering amount.

"Between 8% and 12% of all the calories a cow consumes is burped out as methane," Steve explains. 

"It's the byproduct of the organisms, the bacteria that live in there breaking down complex carbohydrates like grains and grasses."

What makes Methane Tamer particularly innovative isn't just the Asparagopsis, but the careful formulation work done to create a stable, effective product. 

The bioactives in Asparagopsis are highly volatile and would typically degrade rapidly, but CH4 Global employs expert formulators with decades of experience to stabilise the material and ensure consistent performance.

"Methane Tamer has the ability to deliver on that promise that when farmers use it on day one, it's the same as if they used it on day 180," says Steve. 

"It's fully stable... and it fits with the habits and practices. It's not like you need to introduce a new habit... it'll fit into and integrate to the feeding practices that you normally have."

The product offers multiple benefits to farmers, making its business case compelling. 

By blocking methane production, the carbon stays in the cow and can be reutilised, meaning the animal needs less feed for the same productivity – a significant cost saving. 

There's also potential for premium pricing on low-methane beef and carbon value through "insetting" arrangements with corporate partners.

"The key thing is it has to have a net return on their investment,” Steve says, reflecting on how to get stakeholders in the industry on side. 

“Farmers have to make money out of it, simply put." 

How to scale a climate solution globally

In January 2024, CH4 Global opened what it believes to be the world's first commercial-scale Asparagopsis production facility in South Australia.

It’s more than just an investment in the supply chain, though. It’s a demonstration of the end-to-end process of growing, stabilising, processing, formulating and packaging Methane Tamer.

When it comes to distribution, CH4 Global has chosen a strategic approach rather than targeting individual farmers directly. 

The company has partnered with multinational corporations that can drive adoption through their supply chains, including Mitsubishi, Lotte, UPL and restaurant chain Chipotle, which boasts more than 4,000 locations worldwide.

"If you want to get to scale and it's ultimately your goal, you have no choice but to start to work with that big end," Steve explains. 

"The larger corporations have all made public commitments of their carbon reduction goals. 

“They manage that supply chain so they can look back to their supply chain and facilitate the use of products that have a lower carbon profile."

The Mitsubishi partnership came about after Meller spoke at a conference in Singapore about 18 months ago. 

Despite Mitsubishi being primarily known for machinery and automobiles, the corporation actually comprises more than a thousand companies, including animal feed providers and retail stores.

"They did an incredibly deep diligence on every piece of what we do, which for a start-up company is important validation that what you do passes the sniff test many times over with major corporations," Steve says.

Mitsubishi’s involvement in CH4’s growth will see Methane Tamer used in cattle farming across Australia and East Asia.

By 2026, CH4 Global plans to supply Methane Tamer directly to various international markets as regulatory approvals allow.

The future of sustainable agriculture

While CH4 Global currently focuses on partnerships with large corporations to achieve rapid scaling, Steve sees a future where Methane Tamer could become more widely available to individual farmers.

"Once we get past the 2030 timeframe, I can see it being more widely available because it'll be in more wide use, farmers will be more convinced,” Steve says.

When asked about the importance of sustainability in agriculture, Steve is emphatic about the need to improve food systems while maintaining food security as the global population grows.

"There is a large double-digit percentage of the world that relies on protein sources from ruminants, whether it's cow, sheep, goats, camels and the like for its protein sources, both milk and beef," he explains. 

"When you think about the farmers across the world, it's getting close to 2 billion who are really integrated across that entire ecosystem."

"When you've got ruminants who are clearly large producers of methane – the single largest source on the planet, more than from the oil and gas industry – if you can do something about it, you have the chance to move the needle and buy the world another decade."

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