German food tech innovator ProteinDistillery recently broke ground at its new Protein Competence Centre set to open by Q2 2025, with the event attended by Germany’s Agriculture and Education Minister Cem Özdemir, known for his outspokenness on vegetarianism and environmentalism, Member of Germany’s Green Party Zoe Mayer, and former goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand, owner of the vegan restaurant vhy.
The Protein Competence Centre will serve as a centre for research, development and production of pioneering plant-based proteins and promote collaboration between science and industry and will enable large-scale production of Prew:tein®, a sustainable, animal-free protein derived from brewer’s yeast, a beer industry by-product.

Prew:tein® offers functional properties like emulsification and gel formation, rivalling animal proteins without additives. The Heilbronn facility will produce up to 200 tonnes annually, saving approximately 1.9 million kg of CO2—equivalent to the protein content of 20 million eggs—on less than 1,000 m² of land. Co-founder Christoph Pitter emphasized the environmental benefits of decoupling protein production from agricultural land use.
Construction will continue through early 2025, with production slated to begin in April. The centre will also focus on scaling up by-product valorisation and fostering collaboration between research and industry.
“This is the future of brewer’s yeast”
At the ceremony, Özdemir highlighted the significance of plant-based innovations, stressing the growing demand for alternative proteins. He noted plans to expand Germany’s protein strategy and advocate for EU-wide support.

“Our agricultural and food industry is full of innovation. This can also be felt in the ProteinDistillery. Here, valuable plant-based protein is obtained from what remains when brewing beer – this is the future of brewer’s yeast. And that hits the nerve of time: while meat consumption is decreasing, both the demand and the variety of the range of alternative plant-based protein carriers are rising.
“In order to further promote such innovative approaches, we are further developing our protein plant strategy into a protein strategy. I am also committed to ensuring that the Commission is also strengthening its domestic protein offer with an EU-wide protein strategy in Brussels,” said the Federal Minister.
The event also featured a panel discussion on enhancing cooperation between machine manufacturers and startups, concluding with former goalkeeper and vegan entrepreneur Timo Hildebrand unveiling the first consumer product made with Prew:tein®: a new plant-based version of Maultasche, a filled pasta dumpling popular in Germany and Italy.