Back in 2021, a foodie, a food scientist and a chef led a successful crowdfunding campaign – and Luya was born. The Swiss startup transforms Okara – or soy pulp – into juicy plant-based alternatives. As of May 30 their products are available in over 130 Coop outlets across Switzerland. 

Meeting growing demand

More than one million Swiss consumers already skip meat completely or partially, once or twice a week. They care about their health and the environment – but they’re not willing to compromise on taste. Luya’s products are designed with these consumers – alongside growing numbers of vegetarians and vegans – in mind.

Made from chickpeas and okara, their organic chunks, nuggets and burger patties aim to offer a juicy alternative to meat and poultry. Two flavours of the chunks – Garden Herbs, and BBQ – are now available in over 130 Coop outlets and Coop’s online store. The two varieties and a Nature version will also soon be available in Luya’s own webshop.

The story so far

Back in 2021, Flavio Hagenbuch, Mike Whyte and Tobi Kistler launched a crowdfunding campaign. They’d successfully created a new generation of alternative protein using their proprietary mycelium fermentation platform at the Bern University of Applied Sciences and their early products were already being enjoyed in local restaurants.

After securing CHF 56,000 through crowdfunding to build a larger fermentation chamber and create their brand identity in July, the team went on to close a successful seed funding round led by Redalpine Venture Partners in November. In March this year, they won CHF 150,000 in Venture Kick funds to scale up production and further develop their solid-state fermentation technology.

Achieving impact through local and circular production

Luya’s key ingredient Okara is a by-product from tofu and soymilk production that is still not very well known outside Asia. Globally around 14 million tons of Okara end up in biogas production or as animal feed every year, despite its high nutritional value and fiber content. Luya rescues organic Okara produced by Swiss tofu producers from Swiss and Italian organic soy beans. Then Luya uses traditional fermentation process to transform it into their final product.

Their raw material sourcing strategy ensures short transport routes and reduces significantly less land. The team also takes reducing their Co2 footprint seriously and have recently received the maximum 3-star rating from Eaternity in all four sustainability categories (CO2 emissions, animal welfare, water consumption and rainforest protection).

Find out more on the Luya Foods website.

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SFNV member Firmenich and DSM will merge, leveraging their respective world-class science and complementary capabilities in taste, texture and nutrition. The merger would allow the new company to anticipate evolving consumer needs and boost innovation in high-growth and resilient segments.

Accelerating innovation

SFNV member, Firmenich and DSM announced yesterday that they have entered into a business combination agreement. The merger brings together Firmenich’s leading Perfumery and Taste businesses, its world-class science platforms and associated co-creation capabilities with DSM’s renowned Health and Nutrition portfolio and scientific expertise. The new company, DSM-Firmenich, will have dual headquarters in Switzerland (Kaiseraugst) and the Netherlands (Maastricht). 

DSM-Firmenich anticipates that the merger would allow them to better address the needs of today’s conscious consumers, who prioritize sustainability, health and well-being, and generate new growth opportunities for customers.

The new global-scale company would accelerate innovation in the food and beverage industry, by combining DSM’s Food & Beverage and Firmenich’s Taste & Beyond businesses. Firmenich’s world-leading global Perfumery and Ingredients business would expand further into Beauty through the addition of DSM’s Personal Care & Aroma business. These new combined businesses would be joined by DSM’s high-performing Health, Nutrition & Care and Animal Nutrition & Health businesses.

A global-scale partner

DSM’s Food & Beverage and Firmenich’s Taste & Beyond, with combined revenues of €2.7bn, would form a global-scale partner to the food and beverage industry with extensive capabilities in taste, nutrition and functionality. The new business would play a key role in diet transformation by creating healthier, great-tasting, accessible food and beverages with more natural and sustainable ingredients. This will include a focus on innovation in natural and clean label products, in plant-based foods, and in supporting an excellent taste experience whilst enhancing food’s nutritional profile, through vitamins, probiotics, and lipids and reduced sugar and salt. 

Animal Nutrition & Health, with revenues of €3.3bn, would continue to focus on specialty science- and technology-driven solutions to the ever-increasing demand for protein such as meat, eggs, fish and dairy, while also alleviating the pressure on the planet’s finite natural resources. 

The combined company’s global footprint would provide customers with access to an extensive network of R&D, creation and application capabilities, informed by local consumer preferences, across regional and local hubs around the world. Opportunities from new pioneering and complementary digitally-powered business models would also build upon the 125+ year heritages of each company in purpose-led scientific discovery and innovation.

Find out more about the merger here.

About Firmenich

Firmenich is the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company and has been family-owned for 127 years. The Swiss company specializes in perfumes, flavors, and ingredients and is renowned for its world-class research as well as leadership in sustainability.

About DSM

DSM has transformed during its 150+ year history into today’s health, nutrition & bioscience global leader. The Dutch-Swiss company specializes in nutritional ingredients for food and feed with proven world-leading bioscience capabilities and an international network of high-quality manufacturing sites that underpin a business model of global products, local solutions and personalization and precision.

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SFNV member, Bühler Group, has officially opened its world-class Insect Technology Center (ITC). The facility combines Bühler’s expertise with cutting-edge infrastructure to drive the development of the insect industry.

Accelerating insect plant projects

The Insect Technology Center (ITC) is designed to accelerate large-scale insect plant initiatives. The new test facility will allow Bühler’s customers to demonstrate technological feasibility before investing in their own pilot plants. The team believes that seeing industrial insect technology in action will make it more tangible to customers who are interested in becoming active in this space. 

At the heart of the Center there are two insect growth chambers that mimic industrial production conditions. These chambers have a sophisticated climate control system and are equipped with numerous sensors. The data collected is used to optimize growth conditions to maximize production efficiency. The infrastructure can also be sent to any location, making it accessible to customers worldwide.

The facilities are currently designed to help insect companies, startups and food and feed companies to evaluate the feasibility of producing black soldier flies and mealworms as a sustainable protein source. They can also be used to conduct larvae growth trials with various feedstock, develop product samples, evaluate breed solutions, and run training sessions.

The ITC was funded by Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), in recognition of its contribution to a more sustainable food system.

“The opening of the Insect Technology Center is a major milestone in our journey. Over the last few years, we have gained expertise and maturity to serve different customers in the insect industry with the most suitable and reliable solutions. With our new facility, we extend our services and can even better support our customers in installing an industrial insect plant,” says Andreas Baumann, Head of Market Segment Insect Technology at Bühler. 

Contributing to a circular economy

The work of the Center will make a significant contribution to Bühler’s sustainability targets around mitigating climate change and the creation of more sustainable food systems. In addition to insects being a healthy and sustainable source of protein for food and feed, their frass can be used as a fertilizer, contributing to a circular economy model of production.

The insect feed protein market is expected to reach half a million metric tons in 2030, with the pet food sector and aquaculture sectors projected to make up 30% and 40% of the total insect protein volumes respectively.

“We are devoted to supporting the industry in reaching its full potential. Over the last years we have gained maturity and built the skills for helping the industry to further develop. With proven technologies in our portfolio, we are ready to enable our customers in bringing insect-based products to the market,” explains Andreas Baumann. 

Visit the Insect Technology Center at part of Bühler Networking Days 2022. 

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SFNV member Planted has invested to double its production capacity at its site in Kemptthal to meet growing international demand for its products. The Swiss scaleup now sells 4 meat alternative products in different varieties in 6 European markets.

Boosting capacity to meet market demand

Planted has been producing meat from alternative proteins at their site in Kemptthal since 2020. But in the last two years consumer appetite for environmentally-friendly food has grown rapidly.

This week, they announced that they’ve extended their facility to include a new production line with a double wave extruder. This will enable the team to boost product output and power a new high-performance packaging line.

“By investing in the expansion and modernization of the Kemptthal production site, we’re able to increase the capacity of the plant from 500kg per hour to over 1 tonne per hour. This will help us scale to meet growing market demand,” says Lukas Böni, Co-founder and member of the Executive Board of Planted. “We’re proud to be one of the few manufacturers of plant-based meat that take responsibility for all steps in the production process. Our science and development department, top Michelin star chefs, production and even a restaurant are located right here in Kemptthal. Our production facility is located in a glass house. It is the first transparent meat production facility open to the public” Böni explains.

International expansion

Over the last few years, Planted has successfully developed its presence across the European market. After launching in Germany with retailer Edeka in 2020, the team announced a partnership with Deutsche Bahn in March this year. Planted also broke into the UK market in February, leading with a Veganually campaign that encouraged consumers to continue eating plant-based throughout the year. Its products are now available at restaurants and retailers across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy and the UK, as well as via its Europewide online shop.

Building on its original planted.chicken product range made of pea protein, the company now offers planted.™pulled, planted.™kebab and planted.™schnitzel, some using protein sources such as oats and sunflowers.

Planted remains convinced that biostructured proteins will outperform animal meat in the near future in terms of taste, sustainability, health, efficiency and price and more office buildings and research laboratories are already in the works at the Kemptthal site.

Find out more on the Planted website.

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