Two industry leaders join YASAI’s Board as the team prepares to scale

Jan 24, 2023 | Headline, Member news, Press-releases, Uncategorized

Two industry leaders join YASAI’s Board as the team prepares to scale

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Valley partner YASAI, a Swiss vertical farming start-up, has welcomed two industry leaders to its Board of Directors - Lorenz Wyss, CEO of the Bell Food Group, and Theo Stolze, former shareholder of the Stolze Group. The company now plans to draw on Mr. Wyss’s retail and market insights and Mr. Stolze’s extensive knowledge of novel farming technologies, to achieve its ambitious growth targets. 

New Board Members bring essential expertise

Overseeing the Bell Food Group as Chief Executive Officer since 2011, Lorenz Wyss is leading an international food company with more than 12,000 employees. Initially known for producing meat, the company now offers a wide range of convenience products, as well as plant-based meat alternatives. The Eisberg food company, part of the Bell Food Group, already serves as YASAI's nationwide distribution partner. With Mr. Wyss as an industry expert and Bell Food Group as a new investor, YASAI looks set to strengthen its position in the market. The Bell Food Group has invested an undisclosed amount in YASAI’s convertible loan round to accelerate scaling.

Theo Stolze's extensive knowledge of novel farming technologies forms the professional counterweight of the Board. As export director of the Stolze Group for over 30 years, he led the Dutch company to international success. The Stolze Group specializes in tailored, technical solutions for greenhouse systems and has been in business for more than 50 years. Theo Stolze will now help YASAI to scale, both as an investor and as a new board member. 

A tenfold increase in YASAI's production capacity

Established three years ago, YASAI has become the leading vertical farming company in Switzerland. The construction of two additional industrial farms, as well as another farm integrated into a residential area, are already planned to scale up production in the next few years. YASAI is planning a tenfold increase in its production capacity to meet constantly growing demand and is set to expand its product portfolio with its trade partners.

About YASAI

YASAI AG is a vertical farming start-up founded in 2020 by Mark E. Zahran, Stefano Augstburger, and Philipp Bosshard in Zurich. The company builds and manages Vertical Farms based on circular economy approaches to improve food systems. Its controlled environment agriculture technology is independent of local circumstances, and can therefore be used worldwide for sustainable, future-oriented precision agriculture. YASAI is currently focused on growing herbs, but soon intends to extend its product portfolio into leafy greens and cosmetic plants.

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ADM receives Business Sustainability Award for work to expand regenerative agriculture

Dec 13, 2022 | Headline, Member news, Press-releases, Uncategorized

ADM receives Business Sustainability Award for work to expand regenerative agriculture

Phot of grass growing

ADM has won the Environmental Initiatives category of the 2022 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards for expanding its regenerative agriculture programs. Granted by a judging panel of renowned environmental and energy industry experts, the award recognizes programs or initiatives that push the frontier on environmental leadership.

ADM’s project, “Providing Economic and Sustainable Solutions Through Regenerative Agriculture,” expands on ADM’s long-term commitment to support growers in their transition to regenerative agriculture. In 2022, ADM launched a number of projects and partnerships, including with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), US Department of Agriculture, PepsiCo, and the Farmers Business Network, that equip farmers with financial, technical and educational resources to support regenerative farming.

Commenting on the development, Alison Taylor, chief sustainability officer at ADM said, “ADM is uniquely positioned to partner with growers and customers alike to create value for participants across the value chains in which we operate while helping secure a more sustainable future. We’re proud to continue to expand our partnership with growers, providing valuable support to enhance farm-level sustainability and helping their businesses grow and succeed while simultaneously advancing Scope 3 emissions goals for both ADM and our customers.”

ADM’s regenerative agriculture programs not only support farm economics, but also reduce supply chain impacts and protect local biodiversity. Their initiative has covered four continents to date and is expected to expand its reach further in the coming years. It's engaged with growers to implement regenerative growing practices on more than 600,000 acres. In 2023, ADM plans to continue expansion in North America to cover one million acres by enrolling over 1,000 growers in regenerative programs. This project will also drive carbon reduction and sequestration of 300,000 MT of CO2e, making a significant contribution to ADM’s commitment to curbing emissions.

About ADM

ADM unlocks the power of nature to enrich the quality of life. As a premier global human and animal nutrition company, ADM delivers solutions today with an eye to the future - leading the way to a new future of plant-based consumer and industrial solutions to replace petroleum-based products. They're also an agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities. Sustainability is one of their key values and they work to scale across entire value chains to help decarbonize our industry and safeguard our planet. From the seed of the idea to the outcome of the solution, ADM gives customers an edge in solving the nutritional and sustainability challenges of today and tomorrow.

Learn more at www.adm.com 

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Stefan Palzer on working together to find viable solutions for sustainable and affordable nutrition

Dec 13, 2022 | Headline, SFNV updates, Team members, Uncategorized

Stefan Palzer on working together to find viable solutions for sustainable and affordable nutrition

Photo of Stefan Palzer

Stefan Palzer, Nestlé’s CTO, Head of Innovation, Technology and R&D, & Executive Vice President and the Valley’s Steering Committee Vice President is passionate about science, technology, and the role that innovation plays in making diets tastier, more nutritious, sustainable and affordable. We sat down with him to chat about what Switzerland has to offer as a food innovation nation.

What does sustainable food mean to you personally? 
I grew up on a family farm which triggered my interest in food and agriculture. After that I did an apprenticeship and studied food technology. Early in my career, I acquired hands-on experience in product development.  Through these experiences, I developed a passion for science and technology, and the key role that innovation plays in making diets tastier, more nutritious, sustainable, and affordable around the world. There is nothing more satisfying than contributing to making food more sustainable or to make nutrition accessible to people in need. 

What has Switzerland got to offer as a food innovation nation? 
Switzerland is deeply rooted in agriculture. The country is characterized by an astonishing density of expertise along the food value chain. The Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley is the result of this unique innovation ecosystem for food and nutrition which includes globally leading multi-national companies, and world class scientific institutions, and a very strong start-up ecosystem. This truly makes it the perfect breeding ground for innovative solutions that can address global nutrition and sustainability challenges, from farm to fork, in a way that is good for the people and the planet. 

In your opinion, what are the most significant challenges that need to be overcome?
The world's population might reach almost 10 billion in 2050, making today's food supply more challenging than ever. We need to find the right balance between sustainability, convenience, and taste, while also addressing global health challenges such as access to affordable nutrition, malnutrition as well as obesity. In many cases these priorities conflict with each other. We can only manage the resulting trade-offs through disruptive innovation and collaboration amongst all players. 

What’s the role of large enterprises specifically in shaping the future of food?
Serving our consumers and the planet means tackling global challenges such as climate change, malnutrition, and affordability, while catering for nutritional needs of those with specific health conditions. Solving these challenges requires a sense of urgency and rapid scaling of the most effective solutions. Together with start-ups we are also exploring emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cell-based food. Through these initiatives, we can continue to deliver truly innovative solutions that are tasty, nutritious, affordable, and sustainable. 

How can we support consumers to tackle complex issues like the climate crisis through their dietary choices?  
Good food and good nutrition are fundamental to everyone’s health, well-being, and enjoyment, as well as cultural identity. As a food innovator, we can support consumers through delivering more sustainable food choices, that are authentic, delicious, and nutritious.  For example, at Nestlé, we have a great range of plant-based alternatives to fish, meat, dairy, and eggs. We’re also exploring solutions for climate friendly milk, and we upcycle agricultural side streams, while also using more locally sourced ingredients. Additionally, we’re exploring innovative solutions to increase accessibility to affordable nutritious products to help vulnerable consumers around the world. 

What role does collaboration play in driving change?
Transforming the global food systems can only be achieved through strong collaboration by all players – from food companies, academia, governments, and civil society. This is exactly why initiatives like the Valley are so important. They make it easier to spot synergies and co-create breakthrough science and technology solutions that lead to healthier, more sustainable food systems globally.  

 Additionally, collaboration with disruptive start-ups is also key to leverage their creativity and to combine it with the scaling capabilities of large companies. We are focused on helping start-ups refine their value proposition, while giving them access to our expertise and infrastructure to help them bring their products to the market faster through our R+D Accelerator initiative. Additionally, we support programs such as Mass Challenge Switzerland and EIT Food that provide a platform and resources for start-ups and students to bring their innovative ideas to life.  

The situation of the world’s food systems will get more challenging in the next few years, and we need to act now to change the future. Let’s work together to find and deploy the highest performing solutions. Let’s move the needle!

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Planted invests in scaling the Swiss alt protein supply chain following key Federal Council decision

Dec 5, 2022 | Headline, Press-releases, Uncategorized

Planted invests in scaling the Swiss alt protein supply chain following key Federal Council decision

Photo of Planted employee working in a factory

Swiss FoodTech startup Planted, known for its clean-label meat made from alternative proteins, is rounding out 2022 with a landmark shift in the way it acquires its raw materials: the company is now procuring its protein-rich yellow peas from within Switzerland. This step is only possible thanks to a watershed Federal Council package that redresses some of the inequality between plant protein cultivation for animal and human consumption respectively.

A legislative landmark

The Swiss Federal Council ratified the 2022 agricultural ordinance package at the beginning of November. It means that - starting from 1 January 2023 - producers cultivating plant-based proteins for human consumption in Switzerland will also be eligible for individual crop subsidies. It’s a major change given that, previously, grants have only been awarded for the cultivation of specific protein plants in Switzerland when their usage was earmarked for animal feed. To date, Swiss farmers who wanted to supply alternative protein companies making food for humans, like Planted, did not qualify for the same subsidies as animal feed producers.

Sourcing Swiss yellow peas

Planted has long wanted to source its yellow peas - part of the protein-rich blend it uses to manufacture its plant-based meat products, including schnitzel and chicken substitutes - from within Switzerland’s borders, and other Swiss companies with similar goals have also expressed similar aims.

Planted has now announced that thanks to the Federal Council’s decision it has successfully begun procuring yellow peas from Swiss farmers. "With this groundbreaking step, Planted is now able to source Swiss yellow peas in addition to Swiss rapeseed oil. We can now continue to work on shifting the sourcing of the entire value chain to Switzerland, further aligning with the quality our customers want and expect from us,” Planted co-founder Lukas Böni explained.

He continued:  “As a start-up, this marks a major investment on our part in the Swiss protein market. It’s something we really believe in. Scaling the value chain will still take several years, but we are happy to have found partners with whom we can further advance this vision.” 

Advancing the political framework

The adoption of the agricultural ordinance package that narrows the equality gap between plant proteins for human nutrition versus animal feed has been a long-awaited step for many actors in the Swiss alternative protein ecosystem. 

But there is still more work to be done. Planted, as one of the founding partners of SPA (the Swiss Protein Association), will continue to work alongside partners in industry and agriculture to drive the topic of sustainable and local alternative protein sources up the political agenda.

Find out more on the Planted website.

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New meat alternative made from brewer’s grains will be produced in Switzerland

Nov 27, 2022 | Headline, Press-releases, Uncategorized

New meat alternative made from brewer’s grains will be produced in Switzerland

Photo of circular food solutons team

Circular Food Solutions Switzerland AG and the Doppelleu Boxer AG brewery will turn a brewing industry byproduct into next generation meat alternatives using Swiss raw materials. With a total investment of over five million Swiss francs, the Chopfab brewery site is now being transformed into the most advanced upcycling plant in the world for spent grain. Production will kick off in early 2023.

Inspired by Bühler's research

What started as a spin-off idea from the Bühler Group in 2015 is now becoming reality. Circular Food Solutions Switzerland AG and the Winterthur-based Doppelleu Boxer AG brewery will start producing a premium Swiss meat alternative in 2023. Previously, the brewery's by-products were transformed into animal feed. But now, thanks to this new collaboration, the companies will turn it into a protein-rich byproduct that that can be used as plant-based meat alternative.

Circular Food Solutions Switzerland AG uses an innovative and globally exclusive upcycling technology that draws on Bühler AG's proprietary research and covers both wet and dry extrudates. With exclusive rights to use the method in Switzerland, the joint venture with the young, creative Swiss brewery
Doppelleu Boxer AG will create flavorful, plant-based meat alternatives. The product will be made from Swiss brewer’s spent grain, making more efficient use of valuable resources and will also have a lower environmental impact due to reduced transportation routes, land use and greenhouse gas emissions.

A cutting-edge upycling plant

Over five million Swiss francs will be invested in the creation of a new cutting-edge upcycling plant for spent grains in Winterthur, with construction due to start in early 2023. The spent grains will be processed in the brewhouse and then extruded in a continuous process.

Partners have been working closely with leading Swiss meat processors to develop their product that is set to hit the market from  mid 2023. They then aim to develop the first meat alternative product made from 100% Swiss raw materials by the end of 2023.

Carsten Petry, CEO of Circular Food Solutions said: "We wanted to create a locally sourced and locally produced product. I'm thrilled that our first Swiss meat alternative product made with spent grains from Swiss malt will hit supermarket shelves in 2023."

Find out more on the Circular Food Solutions website.

About Circular Food Solutions

Founded in 2015 as a Bühler Group spin-off, Circular Food Solutions AG uses innovative upcycling technologies to transform these byproducts into healthy, protein-rich foods for human consumption. It promotes more sustainable food production with lower greenhouse gas emissions by minimizing food transit and creating a delicious meat alternatives.

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