Planted opens cutting-edge production facility for plant-based meat in southern Germany

Valley partner Planted has opened a new state of the art facility for producing its plant-based whole-muscle meat in Memmingen, southern Germany. The Swiss FoodTech pioneer is already regarded as a trailblazer in the field of clean meat and the new premises mark a major milestone in the expansion of its production capabilities. 

A home for Planted’ s whole-muscle platform

The focus of the new production facility in Memmingen will be on scaling and further developing the group of products that relies on Planted’s proprietary complete meat muscle. The muscle grows through proprietary fermentation processes and can be further processed into a variety of meat cuts. The planted.steak based on this advanced technology was launched in 2024 and has triggered strong demand from consumers and restaurants – demonstrating the potential of alternative proteins in terms of flavour, health benefits and sustainability. The opening in Memmingen was announced in late 2024 as an answer to this increased demand. 

Doubled production capacity 

The new plant in Memmingen marks itself out as Europe’s most modern production facility for biostructured proteins and will make it possible to produce over 20 tonnes per day in the mid-term, the same amount as the current capacity of the site in Kemptthal, Switzerland – therefore doubling the company’s overall capacity. 

The facility will produce products for sale in Germany as well as other European markets, including the UK – creating over 50 new jobs in the medium term. Lukas Böni, co-founder and member of the management board of Planted, told us: ‘With an export share of 75% and Germany as our biggest export country, expansion into our largest EU market was an obvious choice. The new proximity to key target markets, combined with a state-of-the-art production facility, allows for more sustainable and efficient logistics and production, helping Planted meet growing demand and stay closer to our international customers. The Kemptthal site remains a central pillar of our production for the Swiss market.’

Sustainability as a central element

Sustainability is a guiding principle at the new production facility, as you would expect from the B-Corp certified company. Together with the local Alois Muller Group, an expert in sustainable energy concepts, the plant has been designed to be environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, so that it can work towards CO2 neutrality. Planted relies on groundwater cooling and the heat supply is provided by a sustainable energy system. The production of a planted.steak causes 97% less CO2 emissions and requires 81% less water compared to conventional beef. 

In a further achievement for the planted.steak, further significant national retail listings have been made at REWE and Kaufland in Germany, Tesco in the UK, Carrefour in France, Albert Heijn in Holland and Migros in Switzerland in recent weeks. To coincide with the BBQ season, Planted has also newly expanded its range with a paprika flavour way produced using the same innovative fermentation technology. Further products in the steak group are also under development and set to launch later this year.

‘Our biotechnological expertise enables us to bring new innovative products to market faster and more efficiently – and even closer to our customers in the retail and gastronomy sectors,’ explains Judith Wemmer, co-founder of Planted and operational lead for both production sites. The company is convinced that alternative proteins will surpass animal meat in terms of flavour, sustainability, health, productivity and price in future as the demand for environmentally friendly food continues to grow.  

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