Weekly Roundup: Lantmännen’s pea protein investment, Zero waste Coffee Ball debuts

09 Sep 2022 --- This week in industry news, Lantmännen made a significant investment in northern Europe, and Fonterra launched its B2B brand Nutiani, targeting multi-billion dollar medical and well-being nutrition markets. The Kirin Health Innovation Fund invested in Neutral Foods and the world’s first environmentally friendly coffee ‘capsule’ without damaging packaging was launched. Meanwhile, Irish beef and lamb will appear on supermarket shelves in Singapore for the first time.

In brief: Business moves
The investment of over SEK 1 billion (US$94.9 million) in a new large-scale production facility for pea protein in Lidköping strengthens Lantmännen’s position on the market for plant-based proteins. The pea proteins will complement the existing range of sustainable grain-based proteins from wheat and oats. The new production facility is expected to be completed in early 2026. Lantmännen is starting the detailed design of a new large-scale production facility in Lidköping. The plant will have a significant industrial capacity to process peas into a highly concentrated pea protein isolate, and residual streams will be connected to existing biorefineries. The investment creates new conditions for Swedish farmers to grow another crop in their crop rotation and has several advantages for both environment and climate. The protein isolate will have many applications, such as protein drinks and bars, dairy substitutes, bread and meat analogs.

Fonterra has launched a new well-being solution brand, Nutiani. The B2B brand targets the multi-billion-dollar medical and everyday well-being nutrition markets. Fonterra’s chief innovation and brand officer, Komal Mistry-Mehta, says the creation of the brand brings to life concepts that help customers tailor their products to meet consumers’ evolving well-being and nutrition needs. Nutiani will also offer end-to-end solutions to customers through a combination of well-being nutrition products, concepts and services that leverage the company’s property and investments in research. 

HunterLab has made significant new partnerships with several plant-based protein producers – including Beyond Meat, The Better Meat Co. and Plantible Foods. HunterLab provides innovative, user-friendly, full-spectrum color-measurement technology for plant-protein producers and virtually all other food industry segments. The company says color plays a vital role in sensory appeal, flavor HunterLab is helping design a whole new spectrum of possibilities for food.perception, and practical safety applications.

The Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) is supporting BioTech Foods’ ‘investMEAT’ project, focused on research into cell lines, culture media and biomaterials, key elements in the production of cultured meat, which will allow production to be scaled up to the industrial level. Through its line of R&D grants ‘Innova Invest,’ ICEX will contribute a subsidy of €753,000 (US$753,899) to this research, whose purpose is to keep production costs within suitable ranges, so that cultured meat reaches the final consumer and be price competitive with the current protein supply. The project led by BioTech Foods will allow the establishment of a highly efficient cultured meat production line that solves the challenges of current technology linked to scalability.

In brief: Sustainability efforts
The Kirin Health Innovation Fund, a corporate venture capital fund founded by Kirin Holdings and Global Brain Corporation, an independent venture capital firm, has invested in Neutral Foods. Neutral Foods is a food company taking on the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions with its unique strategy and products.

A large-scale sustainable rice project has lifted the incomes of smallholder farmers in Thailand. The Market Oriented Smallholder Value Chain (MSVC) program is close to completion and has helped 19,000 Thai smallholder farmers increase their net income by more than 20% and reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from farming by 21%. It received the highest sustainability recognition, the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Gold Level, by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) platform earlier this year. 

In brief: Launches
Swiss coffee brand CoffeeB has launched the Coffee Ball – the world’s first environmentally friendly coffee ‘capsule.’ The Coffee Ball is part of a new coffee capsule system that works without capsules. ItSwiss coffee brand CoffeeB has launched the Coffee Ball. generates zero waste, revolutionizing an industry plagued by colossal plastic and aluminum waste and helping consumers achieve more eco-friendly everyday practices. CoffeeB’s technology means that portioned coffee no longer needs to be surrounded by aluminum or a plastic capsule. After five years of development, Swiss retail giant Migros has designed and patented a brand-new way to package portioned coffee. The compressed Coffee Balls are encased in a tasteless, colorless, seaweed-based layer that gives it structure and protects it from flavor loss – eliminating the need for a traditional capsule casing.

Extracta, an Australian manufacturer, will shortly start utilizing agricultural waste like sugarcane husks, grape marc (skins and seeds) and orange peel to manufacture products, stopping the waste from going to landfill. Rod Lewis, Extracta’s CEO, says that his company is turning agricultural waste into high-quality ingredients for the food industry. The company sees many other opportunities beyond extracting ingredients from the waste of sugar cane, citrus and wine production, including the waste from mangoes, avocados, stone fruits, watermelons, soy, berries, and more. 

In brief: Other highlights
Irish beef and lamb will appear on supermarket shelves in Singapore for the first time, following its launch, as part of a government-led trade mission. Boutique food retailer and butchery Ryan’s Grocery will initially stock Irish beef and lamb at their two locations in Singapore. This is the first phase of a two-phase rollout through their distribution arm, Alternative Selection, which will create a direct supply route for Irish beef and lamb to Singapore’s top restaurants. 

By Elizabeth Green

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