10.18 Professional Services Agreement - The Jade Partnership International, Inc.

                         CONSULTING AND OPTION AGREEMENT

This Consulting and Option Agreement is made and entered into to be effective as
of the date upon which Services were first  rendered in accordance  herewith and
is by and between The Jade  Partnership  International,  Inc.,  (Consultant) and
BioProgress Technology International,  Inc. (Client).  Consultant is willing and
able to  provide  various  valuable  Services  for and on  behalf  of  Client in
connection with the business of Client including,  but not limited to, procuring
equity or debt finance for the Company and providing general business management
and   administration   Services  and   development  of  sales  &  marketing  and
international  licensing strategies  (together the Services).  Client desires to
retain  Consultant  as provider of Services to be  performed  by  Consultant  on
behalf of Client and Consultant desires to be retained in that capacity upon the
terms and conditions  hereinafter set forth. In  consideration  of the foregoing
premises,  the mutual promises and agreements  hereinafter  set forth,  and such
other and  valuable  consideration,  the  receipt and  sufficiency  of which are
hereby acknowledged, Client and Consultant agree as follows:

1. Services.  Client hereby retains Consultant and Consultant hereby accepts and
agrees to such  retention.  Consultant  shall render to Client  Services of such
nature as are  necessary to provide for the  strategic  direction and day to day
management  of the  Company.  It is not  intended  that the  performance  of the
Services  described  herein shall be  accomplished  exclusively  by  Consultant;
therefore,  Consultant  may engage  persons as  subcontractors  to assist in the
discharge of the responsibilities  hereunder;  however, the cost of such persons
or subcontractors shall be at the cost and expense of Consultant.

2. Time,  Place and Manner of Performance.  Consultant  shall render Services at
reasonable and convenient times and places. Except as aforesaid, the time, place
and manner of  performance  of the Services  hereunder,  including the amount of
time to be allocated by Consultant to any specific service,  shall be determined
in the sole discretion of Consultant.

3. Term of Agreement.  This agreement  shall begin when  Consultant  first began
rendering  Services for Client,  and shall terminate when the Services have been
fully  rendered  hereunder  or when a change in  control  of Client  shall  have
occurred.

4. Compensation.  Client shall pay Consultant a fee in the amount of $50,000 per
month.  At the  option of  Consultant,  Consultant  may elect to take all or any
portion of this amount in shares of the free trading  common stock of Client and
Client  undertakes with Consultant to procure the registration of such shares as
soon as permissible under statute,  law or regulation following the issue of the
same.  The parties have agreed that the fair market  value of this stock,  after
considering the financial  condition of Client, as well as the lack of a trading
market for the stock, is $0.28 per share.

5. Expenses.  Client shall  reimburse  Consultant on demand for all expenses and
other  disbursements,  including,  but not  limited to,  travel,  entertainment,
mailing,   printing  and  postage,   incurred  by  Consultant,  or  any  of  its
subcontractors,  on behalf of Client in connection  with the  performance of the
Services  pursuant to this agreement.  Expenses and  disbursements  in excess of
$100 shall have Client's prior  approval.  These expenses shall be paid in cash,
or,  at the  option of  Consultant,  in shares of  Client's  common  and  Client
undertakes with Consultant to procure the registration of such shares as soon as
permissible under statute, law or regulation following the issue of the same. If
this option is  exercised,  said shares shall be issued at the fair market value
therefor, which Client and Consultant agree will be the closing inside bid price
therefor on the date of payment.

6.  Work  Product.  It is  agreed  that,  all  intellectual  property,  business
contacts,  commercial  knowledge,  actual  or  intangible  know-how,  documents,
materials,  and any and all other work  produced or performed by the  Consultant
pursuant  to this  Agreement  shall be the sole and  exclusive  property  of the
Client upon payment to the Consultant therefor.

7.  Disclosure of  Information.  Consultant  recognizes  and  acknowledges  that
Consultant  has and will have  access to  certain  confidential  information  of
Client and its  affiliates  that are  valuable,  special  and unique  assets and
property of Client and such affiliates. Consultant will not, during or after the
term  of  this  agreement,  disclose,  without  the  prior  written  consent  or
authorization  of  Client,  any  such  information  to  any  person,  except  to
authorized  representatives  of Consultant or its affiliates for purposes of the
Services  to be  rendered  under  this  agreement,  for any  reason  or  purpose
whatsoever.  In this regard, Client agrees that such authorization or consent to
disclosure  may be  conditioned  upon the  disclosure  being made  pursuant to a
secrecy agreement,  protective order,  provision of statute, rule, regulation or
procedure  under which the  confidentiality  of the information is maintained in
the  hands  of the  person  to whom the  information  is to be  disclosed  or in
compliance with the terms of a judicial order or administrative process.

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8. Conflict of Interest.  Consultant shall be free to perform Services for other
persons during the term of this agreement.  Consultant will notify Client of the
performance of consulting Services for any other person that would conflict with
the  obligations  of this  agreement.  Upon  receiving  such notice,  Client may
terminate this agreement or consent to Consultant's outside consulting Services.
Failure to terminate this agreement shall constitute Client's ongoing consent to
Consultant's outside consulting activities.

9. Miscellaneous  Provisions.  (a) Notices. Any notices required or permitted to
be given under this agreement shall be sufficient if in writing and delivered or
sent by registered or certified mail to the principle  office of each party. (b)
Waiver of  Breach.  Any waiver by a party of a breach of any  provision  of this
agreement  by the other party shall not operate or be  construed  as a waiver of
any subsequent  breach by the waiving party. (c) Assignment.  This agreement and
the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder are not assignable by either
party.  (d) Applicable  Law. It is the intention of the parties hereto that this
Agreement and the  performance  hereunder and all suits and special  proceedings
hereunder be construed in accordance  with and under and pursuant to the laws of
the  State  of  Nevada  and  that in any  action,  special  proceeding  or other
proceeding  that may be brought  arising out of, in connection with or by reason
of this agreement, the laws of the State of Nevada shall be applicable and shall
govern to the  exclusion  of the law of any other forum,  without  regard to the
jurisdiction  in which any action or special  proceeding may be instituted.  (e)
Severability.  All agreements and covenants contained herein are severable,  and
in the event any of them shall be held to be invalid by any competent court, the
agreement  shall be interpreted as if such invalid  agreements or covenants were
not contained  herein.  (f) Entire  Agreement.  This Agreement  constitutes  and
embodies the entire  understanding  and agreement of the parties and  supersedes
and replaces all prior  understandings,  agreements and negotiations between the
parties solely and expressly in respect of the subject matter. (g) Counterparts.
This agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an
original, but both of which taken together shall constitute but one and the same
document.

IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the  parties  hereto  have  entered  into this  agreement
effective as of the day and year first above written.

CONSULTANT:

The Jade Partnership International, Inc.

CLIENT: BIOPROGRESS TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Barry J. Muncaster, President