Plantible’s Eldorado facility begins full operation and expands Rubi protein production

Plantible, a biology company focused on sustainable food ingredients, announced that its first commercial facility in Eldorado, Texas, is now fully operational and entering an expansion phase. The facility, known as the Ranchito, includes greenhouses, upgraded protein filtration systems, and a new high-yield strain of lemna, the aquatic plant used to produce Plantible’s Rubi Protein.

Lemna, also called water lentils, is a nutrient-dense plant that requires 10 times less water than soy, no arable land, and can grow in harsh environments with a doubling rate of two to three days. The Ranchito is expected to produce thousands of metric tons of biomass annually, yielding hundreds of metric tons of protein per year. 

This output is projected to reduce nearly 8,000 metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually by replacing animal-based proteins and synthetic ingredients in food products.

Tony Martens, Plantible’s co-founder and CEO, described the development as a “defining moment” for the company, its partners, and the Eldorado community. The facility’s expanded capacity includes advanced filtration equipment that lowers production costs and increases throughput, supporting the company’s path to cash flow positivity and scaling of Rubi Protein production.

Plantible is collaborating with customers such as ICL to incorporate Rubi Protein into consumer products. The protein is neutral-tasting, allergen-free, and a complete protein with a PDCAAS score of one. It offers functional benefits including emulsifying, gelling, and binding, enhancing texture and stability in food formulations.

The protein also offers sustainability benefits since it is grown with a “fraction of the water, land, and carbon footprint of animal proteins,” and has less than 10 % CO2 emission and <10 % water use compared to eggs, Martens previously told Food Ingredients First while discussing the company’s recent IFT First win.

Paul Peterson, global alternative proteins leader at ICL Group, said Plantible’s product addresses the need for clean-label, functional binders in plant-based foods, replacing chemically derived options like methylcellulose.