Rheom Materials

Rheom Materials, founded in 2020 by Zimri T. Hinshaw and formerly known as Bucha Bio, is a materials science company focused on creating biobased alternatives to petrochemical plastics. The company's origin stems from Hinshaw's personal quest as a long-time vegan to find a sustainable, ethical alternative to animal and synthetic leather for a jacket inspired by Japanese youth subculture. This journey began in his college dorm room, evolved in a basement lab, and eventually led to the establishment of the company in Houston, Texas. The initial technology centered on using kombucha SCOBY, but the process faced scalability and consistency challenges. This led to a strategic pivot, guided by CTO Dr. Carolina Amin Ferril, to align material design with existing, globally ubiquitous plastics manufacturing processes, specifically melt extrusion.

The company's core business model is to act as a specialty biobased material compounder and an innovation bridge between raw material suppliers, manufacturers, and consumer goods brands. Rheom Materials develops custom composite materials by sourcing biobased chemicals and polymers—derived from sources like bacterial fermentation, crop waste, trees, and algae—and formulating them into resins. These resins can then be used in standard melt extrusion and injection molding equipment, allowing for scalable production without requiring new manufacturing infrastructure. This strategy enables Rheom to efficiently produce materials for clients in sectors like fashion, automotive, and electronics. The company generates revenue by co-developing unique materials with brand partners and by supplying its proprietary biopolymer resins and sheets to manufacturers.

Rheom Materials offers two flagship product lines. The first, Shorai™, is a biobased, extruded flexible sheet positioned as a sustainable alternative to animal and petrochemical-based leathers. It is designed to be durable, versatile, and suitable for a range of applications, having been showcased in clothing and accessories. Shorai™ has earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product label. The second product, Benree™, is a biopolymer resin that can be dropped into existing supply chains as a replacement for conventional plastic pellets in injection molding and other processes. This allows for the production of a wide spectrum of components that are made from 90-100% biobased content. The company's key value proposition is enabling brands to reduce their carbon impact without fundamentally changing their production methods.

Keywords: biobased materials, melt extrusion, biopolymer resin, leather alternative, sustainable materials, petrochemical alternatives, nanocellulose, materials science, circular economy, sustainable fashion, automotive biomaterials, biobased plastics, polymer compounding, custom material development, plant-based materials, Shorai, Benree, Zimri T. Hinshaw, sustainable manufacturing, USDA Biobased, industrial biomaterials, plastic-free leather, injection molding resins