The New Originals Company, headquartered in Vienna, was founded in February 2024 by the Lunter family – tofu pioneers since 1991 – NLT Management Holding and Raiffeisenbank Landesbank Oberösterreich, an experienced investor in the food industry, and already employs over 600 people in six European countries.
The New Originals Company focuses on the development of innovative tofu products that meet modern nutritional requirements. With already five brands, all of which stand for innovative, high-quality tofu products and plant-based foods, the company aims to expand further in the rapidly growing European market for natural plant-based foods. Regional roots and comprehensive traceability of raw materials along the entire supply chain remain an important part of the mission.
Matthias Krön, CEO of the New Originals Company, gives us a deeper insight into the company, its brands and its innovative products and explains why tofu will be a central component of the diet of the future.
With the New Originals Company, you are positioning yourselves as ‘the first truly European tofu company’. Can you tell us more about the products you offer and the target groups you are addressing?
With the New Originals Company, we have set ourselves the goal of becoming the leading European manufacturer of tofu. The company’s name reflects its mission: to develop innovative products that build on the rich tradition and naturalness of tofu instead of imitating meat.
Tofu is produced using a process that is thousands of years old and is based on regional raw materials such as European Danube soya beans and chickpeas from Europe. We therefore process raw materials directly from farmers close to our factories into natural food products without artificial additives and in a simple, traditional process.
We are highly innovative, for example, we launched the first chickpea-based tofu on the market with Omami. Tofu is a product category that will stand alongside meat in the future and will play an important role in the European protein strategy. We want to help shape it together with our customers and consumers.
What brands and products are available under the umbrella of the New Originals Company?
We bring together traditional companies that have been characterised by the vision of their founders under one roof and lead them into the future while preserving their heritage. In this way, we unite brands that all stand for innovative, high-quality tofu products and plant-based foods.
A wide range of tofu products can be found under the Lunter brand. The range includes natural tofu, which is also suitable for sweet recipes and desserts, as well as tofu for grilling, marinated tofu and purely plant-based spreads and pâtés.
With the young Omami brand, we are breaking new ground with tofu made from chickpeas. The particularly creamy texture of the soya-free tofu is available in its natural form and in exciting, seasonally changing flavours.
The leading tofu brand Inedit in Romania complements the range of soya-based products. Sofine is a well-known brand for tofu convenience from the Netherlands. With Plant Republic, we use our extensive experience in the industry to offer customised solutions for European food retailers and are constantly developing our recipes.
How do you stand out from existing competitors?
The name ‘New Originals Company’ stands for the ‘New Original’ concept, which is at the centre of our innovation strategy. Instead of copying meat or cheese, we offer new products based on whole plants, traditional processes and healthy ingredients – health food 2.0, so to speak.
We transform whole plants, seeds and high-quality raw materials produced by farmers in our region into new and innovative products, using traditional and proven production methods that preserve the best of the whole plant. This is the core of our innovation strategy.
Tofu is still an up-and-coming product in Europe. What strategies are you pursuing to increase the acceptance and popularity of tofu in Europe and what role do you think tofu will play in the future of nutrition?
We recognised early on that tofu, with its versatility and positive properties, will be a central component of our diet in the future. With our expertise and many years of experience in Europe, we want to actively shape the tofu category and the future of plant-based nutrition together with our partners. One important task is to focus on the versatility of tofu in the kitchen and to make the preparation methods and the different types and textures of tofu more accessible.
In Europe, we only know a small part of the great variety of tofu textures, flavours and shapes. We want to bring a wide range to Europe, but also write a completely new European tofu story. Just as soya sauce is already standard in every household, tofu will also become an everyday product. Tofu is not only a product for people who do not eat meat, but can also be combined with meat and fish.
You use local ingredients such as soya beans and chickpeas from regional farmers. How important is this regional focus?
Regional roots are crucial for us and are directly linked to the quality of our products and the comprehensive traceability of raw materials along the entire supply chain.
We only use Donau soya. All our soya beans, whether organic or conventional, are certified according to this gold standard for European soya. The chickpeas also all come from Europe and are produced sustainably. This means that we work directly with the products of regional farmers and process these raw materials into tofu for our consumers in one simple step.
You are already represented in European retail with your brands and private label products. Which markets or target groups currently have the greatest growth potential for you?
The Netherlands, the DACH region, the UK and Northern Europe are exciting markets and certainly have great potential for growth. Our products are versatile and appeal to a broad target group; we want to make healthy food accessible to everyone – without restrictions.
