Benson Hill, a publicly listed company since this September, announces the opening of its Crop Accelerator, a state-of-the-art research facility located near the Company’s St. Louis HQ. The company reports that the Crop Accelerator, designed to provide a more than twenty-fold expansion in testing capacity, is operational ahead of schedule and that its first soybean and yellow pea seeds were planted on September 17.
The Crop Accelerator employs 27 staff and is looking to hire more innovators in plant science, data science and food science as it continues its expansion to meet demand for such ingredients, as the plant-based meat market is forecast to reach approximately $140 billion by 2029.
The 47,000 square-foot facility features dynamically adaptive Conviron® growth houses and chambers, equipped with multi-channel LEDs, additive CO2, temperature, humidity and lighting controls. The first plants are thriving, a testament to the facility’s design and operational efficiency, and experiments are underway to further reduce development timelines with a focus on scalability, speed and consistency.
“The Crop Accelerator is another example of how Benson Hill leverages cutting edge technology and innovative thinking to drive bold outcomes,” said Jason Bull, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Benson Hill. “By combining the AI-driven breeding capabilities of CropOS® with the controlled environment and accelerated growth cycles of the Crop Accelerator, our team can even more rapidly predict, test and develop game-changing ingredients starting with a better seed.”
More information can be found at bensonhill.com or on Twitter at @bensonhillinc.
