Future food markets: Pfeifer & Langen buys majority stake in German plant-based innovator Amidori

26 Mar 2019 --- Amidori, a Germany-based manufacturer for vegetarian protein foods, has sold a majority stake in the business to Cologne-based food holding company Pfeifer & Langen Industrie- und Handels (Pfeifer & Langen). Pfeifer & Langen describes the plant-based category as a “new, strategic food sector with great potential.” Amidori, founded in 2015, uses peas and other plant proteins to create food products, and according to the company, it has been seeking a partner to scale up its business.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed and the deal is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities as a condition precedent.

The corporate partnership is an investment in the strategic growth market of plant proteins, which hold the key to the nutrition of the future: The cultivation of plants such as peas, beans and oats for the extraction of plant proteins is far more resource-saving than the manufacture of animal proteins, according to Amidori.

“We have developed a new nutritional category: delicious, plant-based high-protein products which almost everyone can use when cooking and preparing food. These constitute a valuable component of nutrition. Incidentally, in the long run, it will prove impossible to feed the world population without the use of plant-based protein sources,” Amidori Founder Friedrich Büse comments. 

Amidori manufactures burgers, Bolognese sauce and nuggets from raw materials such as peas, oats, sunflower seeds, lentils, beans and grains, and the company is currently expanding its product range. 

“Our products help ensure that the consumption of natural resources is reduced. And instead of chemical additives, we use entirely new physical processes during manufacturing, such as heat and pressure. Even though the taste, texture, mouthfeel and bite are almost identical to those of meat, this is not what motivates us. Our inspiration remains our commitment to good food, to people, animals and our earth,” Büse explains.  

According to Büse, in Europe and worldwide expects that growth will increase and stay at a two-digit annual growth as more and more alternatives in different product categories come into the market. “A crucial point for this growth is of course that the taste and quality fit the consumers’ needs,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“It’s clear to everyone that we need alternatives to animal proteins. Not only to feed the population on the world, but also for environmental and sustainability issues. Incidentally, in the long run, it will prove impossible to feed the world population without the use of plant-based protein sources,” Büse adds.

“Global food production lays claim to over 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free surface, 70 percent of the available fresh water, 30 percent of the transport sector and 20 percent of all energy generated,” says Jens Wedel, Managing Director of Amidori.

“Going forward, sustainable food production requires social and industrial adjustments. From an environmental and nutritional perspective, protein supply is a key issue in this context. It is scientifically proven that products of animal origin have a disproportionately strong influence on the loss of biodiversity, freshwater, climate change and many other areas,” he adds. 

“Amidori is currently in a high growth stage and also the markets are developing very quickly right now so that for us it is good timing to get a strong partner on board,” Wedel tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Plant proteins may well constitute a key solution when addressing the increasing challenges posed by nourishing the world’s growing population. “Our corporate partnership bundles our mutual know-how, generating sustainable, integrated and flavorful food production in the future ‘plant proteins’ market. Both companies adhere to the holistic entrepreneurial approach of the fully-integrated value creation chain, living the sustainable principle: ‘from field to fork,’” explains Uwe Schöneberg, a liable partner of Pfeifer & Langen. 

“This entrepreneurial relationship offers both sides promising opportunities to develop. It is a strategic business segment in which all the signs point towards growth,” Dr. Guido Colsman, liable partner of Pfeifer & Langen states.

Pfeifer & Langen’s mission is to consolidate existing and new associated companies with targeted investments, strategically helping these to generate growth. “Our principle of independence is continued here. Each associated company is responsible for the management of its own business. This makes them near to the markets, flexible and fast,” he concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green