Germany

Handtmann Steak 2.0

© Handtmann

Interviews

Handtmann: “Interest in the Steak Was Overwhelming. We Hadn’t Expected Such Strong Demand”

Handtmann Maschinenfabrik GbH specialises in innovative filling and portioning systems. These technologies are widely used in the food industry, including in the production of plant-based sausage and meat products and other alternative products. Handtmann focuses on innovation in order to realise new product ideas as well as classic recipes with state-of-the-art technology. At Anuga FoodTec in Cologne, Handtmann presented its new moulding system, a new option for the production of formed and filled products. The moulding system offers flexibility both for free forming and for forming and separating vegetarian and vegan alternative products, among others. With the “Steak 2.0”, Handtmann also presented its latest product innovation in the area of plant-based meat alternatives at the trade fair. In his role as industry manager for alternative …

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NOT EGG at Internorga

NOT EGG © Vonher GmbH
Egg Alternatives

Vegan Fried Egg for HoReCa NOT EGG Debuts at Internorga Fair

The vegan fried egg alternative “NOT EGG” was also at the centre of Vonher GmbH’s presence at the Internorga trade fair in Hamburg. With NOT EGG, Vonher GmbH is launching an innovative egg alternative for restaurants and hotels. Unlike powdered products, NOT EGG offers a ready-moulded, deep-frozen plant-based fried egg option that can be prepared in just 3 minutes. The composition of NOT EGG is a careful selection of natural ingredients based on a blend of soya protein isolate, mung bean seeds, pumpkin, carrot, cassava flour and ginger. According to Vonher, this unique blend not only guarantees an authentic flavour and texture, but is also rich in protein, gluten-free, cholesterol-free, and low-carb. NOT EGG is also free from preservatives, colourings and flavourings, as well as …

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ProteinDistillery announces a partnership with the machine manufacturer NETZSCH to advance the purification processes of Prew:tein.

© ProteinDistillery
Company News

ProteinDistillery and NETZSCH Partner to Advance Egg-Like Prew:tein from Upcycled Brewer’s Yeast

The German biotech ProteinDistillery announces a partnership with the machine manufacturer NETZSCH to advance the purification process of Prew:tein — a biomass fermentation-derived protein that delivers functionality akin to egg whites.   ProteinDistillery recently secured €15 million to build an industrial-scale production facility in southern Germany. Claimed as Europe’s first protein-competence center, the plant will be able to produce tons of the vegan protein crafted from upcycled brewer’s yeast. NETZSCH will supply essential machinery to isolate Prew:tein from the biomass — a process essential to achieve a final product — and will also engage in co-development efforts. According to the startup,  the collaboration between the machine engineers and its team will also result in cutting-edge purification methods, driving innovation in the industry.  “This strategic partnership will not only …

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Dr. Wolfgang Kühnl, CEO & owner, InFamily Foods Holding & co-founder of The Cultivated B

Dr. Wolfgang Kühnl, Co-founder ©The Cultivated B
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

The Cultivated B: “There Will Be No Sustainable Protein Future Without a Sustainable Business Model”

Dr Wolfgang Kühnl is the managing partner of Germany’s InFamily Foods Holding GmbH & Co. KG. The son of an entrepreneurial family, Dr Kühnl studied food technology and biotechnology at the Technical University of Munich and completed his doctorate at the Chair of Food Process Engineering and Dairy Technology. In 2011, Dr Wolfgang Kühnl joined his parents’ company H. Kemper GmbH & Co. KG, which he has managed as a managing partner since 2015. Since 2020, Dr Wolfgang Kühnl has been one of two Managing Partners of InFamily Foods Holding, which was formed from the merger with Reinert. The group of companies consists of The Family Butchers (animal protein products), The Plantly Butchers (plant-based protein products), and The Cultivated B (alternative protein sources). With The …

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Rügenwalder Mühle new vegan ham

© Rügenwalder Mühle
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Rügenwalder Mühle Further Expands Vegan Range After Discontinuing Animal Ham

Following the announcement that Rügenwalder Mühle was to discontinue its meat-based Schinken Spicker sausage to increase capacity for the vegan segment, the company now releases the next product in its vegan Schinken Spicker range. The family business, recently acquired by Pfeifer & Langen, is further expanding its vegetarian and vegan segment and is launching the new Vegan Ham Spicker type meat sausage with pea protein. With its strong and spicy flavour and a slight smoky note, it is modelled on a meat sausage in one piece. According to the company, the new product clearly stands out from the sliced Vegan Ham Spicker in terms of both flavour and range of uses. The Vegan Ham Spicker Meat Sausage can be prepared both hot and cold, is …

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Rewe opens vegan supermarket in Berlin

© REWE Markt GmbH
Retail & E-Commerce

REWE Inaugurates its First Fully Plant-Based Supermarket in Berlin

REWE opened its first purely plant-based supermarket in Berlin yesterday. The “REWE voll pflanzlich” supermarket on Warschauer Brücke in the Friedrichshain district offers more than 2,700 vegan products. In addition to more than 3,800 stores in which the food retailer offers everything from organic vegetables to cheese and meat, this marks the company’s first vegan store. Peter Maly, CEO of REWE Group, sees the plant-based supermarket as an important test: “With REWE voll pflanzlich, we are showing how varied and large the selection of vegan products is. In the past, we have been recognised several times as a vegan pioneer in the food trade, and we are also encouraged by the strong response from our customers.” In standard REWE stores, the range includes up to …

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Lidl protein transition event

© Lidl
Fairs & Events

Lidl Hosts Protein Transition Event, Reports Vegan Sales Increase of Over 30%

Lidl Germany has hosted a protein transition event in Berlin, bringing together 110 representatives from politics, business, science, and society. Participants discussed topics such as what the protein supply of the future will look like, how animal welfare could be improved, and what society expects from food chain actors. Lidl described its strategy of creating price parity between plant-based products and their animal counterparts, noting that sales of vegan products had increased by over 30% since it made the pricing changes. The retailer has also begun placing plant-based products next to animal-based ones to make them easier for consumers to find. Additionally, Lidl is actively working to expand its vegan range, and is transparently disclosing the ratio of plant to animal proteins it sells. The …

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Stuart McAlpine Lupin Crop, WOA

Stuart McAlpine with Lupin Crop © WOA
Agriculture / Agribusiness

WOA Pioneers Novel Lupin Fiber, a By-Product of Lupin Powder, Marking “Significant Stride” for Food Industry

Wide Open Agriculture announces it has successfully developed a groundbreaking lupin fiber, characterized by a smooth texture, solubility, and neutral taste, which is ready for commercialization. The anticipated market introduction of this lupin fiber is poised to enhance revenues and profit margins of the company’s production operations in Germany as it transforms what was previously considered a waste by-product into a lucrative revenue source. In collaboration with Curtin University, Wide Open Agriculture has also pioneered the creation of Buntine Protein® powder, a world-first innovation derived from lupins, and holds the exclusive, globally protected patent for this product. The lupin fiber in question emerges as a secondary by-product of Buntine Protein production. Notably, both the lupin fiber and Buntine Protein® boast solubility and are capable of …

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A photo of a fished Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon- © BLUU Seafood - Anna Brauns

Company News

BLUU Seafood Expands Cultivated Fish Production in Preparation for Market Entry, Predicts Price Parity With Fish Within 3 Years

Europe’s largest cultivated seafood biotech, the German startup BLUU Seafood, announces that it has officially inaugurated its first pilot plant in Hamburg-Altona.   The new facility boasts 2,000 m2 of space dedicated to research, production, and office use for its 35 employees. It includes state-of-the-art cell and molecular biology labs, process development areas, and a test kitchen for food applications. At the new plant, the company will initially operate 65 L bioreactors, with the potential to expand to 2,000 L to scale to industrial production as it prepares for market entry. The startup initially operated on a small scale in a laboratory setting in Lübeck, using stem-cell technology to establish GMO-free fish cell lines to grow muscle, fat, and connective tissue from Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout …

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Torg raises funding for AI-powered platform for ingredient sourcing

© Torg
Investments & Acquisitions

Torg Raises €2.7M for AI-Powered Platform Matching Buyers With Food Suppliers

German startup Torg has closed an oversubscribed €2.7 million seed funding round for its AI-powered platform, which helps food service and private label buyers connect with food and beverage suppliers. Torg features a database of more than 100,000 verified suppliers, over ten times more than are present at major trade fairs such as Anuga and SIAL. The platform streamlines supplier discovery, communication, negotiation, and financing to make the sourcing process as simple as possible. It features several product categories, including a vegan category with 282 suppliers. In just two minutes, buyers can set up a product request and distribute it to hundreds of manufacturers. The supplier database features profiles, certifications, product capabilities, and contact information for the manufacturers; Torg claims that handling these large unstructured …

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The Cultivated B. facility in Germany

© The Cultivated B.
Company News

The Cultivated B. Achieves ISO Certification for Quality Management and Efficiency

German bioengineering company The Cultivated B. (TCB) announces the achievement of a significant milestone: obtaining the ISO 9001:2015 certification.  This globally recognized standard for quality management aims to demonstrate a company’s commitment to efficiently and effectively meeting the needs of its customers and stakeholders.  Valid for three years, this ISO certification underscores TCB’s commitment to quality management, operational efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction. According to the company, the certification process involved a comprehensive audit of the company’s operations, including developing a robust quality management system and detailed process documentation across all departments. As explained by ISO, implementing ISO 9001 signifies that an organization has established efficient processes and adequately trained employees to deliver high-quality products or services consistently. Dr. Hamid Noori, CEO of The Cultivated B., shares, …

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Die Vegane Fleischerei team

© Die Vegane Fleischerei
Fundraising

German Vegan Butcher Die Vegane Fleischerei Launches €89K Crowdfunding Campaign

German vegan butcher shop Die Vegane Fleischerei has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Startnext, with the aim of raising €89,000. The funding will be used to purchase equipment that will enable Die Vegane Fleischerei to scale up production, such as a vacuum sausage filler, a steam convection furnace, and a vacuum cutter. By making production more efficient, the equipment will allow the company to reduce the prices of its products, making plant-based meat accessible to more people. Die Vegane Fleischerei has a focus on sustainability and animal welfare rather than profit, and is therefore trying to finance itself independently from banks and traditional investors. Backers will receive surprise rewards. Controversial beginning Die Vegane Fleischerei currently has three stores — two in Munich and one in …

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Coperion introduces new extrusion unit

© Coperion
Cultivated Meat

Coperion Introduces “Texture Solutions” for Plant-Based and Cultivated Meat

Coperion, a leader in compounding and twin screw extrusion equipment and systems for alternative proteins, has developed an innovative texturizing unit for its extruder to help manufacturers mimic animal flesh more easily. Called the MEGAtex S7, Coperion’s new equipment is mounted at the discharge of the ZSK Food Extruder, allowing producers to switch between making texturized vegetable proteins (TVP) and high-moisture meat analogs (HMMA). TVP and HMMA products are manufactured using accurate feeding systems and a food extruder. When the melt discharges from the extruder, the setup significantly differs. While TVP is released and directly cut at the nozzle plate, HMMA requires a special cooling die. In the cooling die, the material is cooled down and forced into a laminar flow, creating a meat-like structure. Extrusion …

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Dr Charli Kruse

Dr Charli Kruse © CellTec Systems
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

CellTec Systems: “Whether it is Slaughtered or Cultured Meat Will Probably Make No Difference to the Consumer in Terms of Sensory Experience”

The Lübeck-based company CellTec Systems sees itself as the first German full-service provider for industrial cell production. Anyone wanting to get into cellular agriculture can obtain all the building blocks for production here: Cells, nutrient solution, bioreactors, and even training and consultancy services. What makes the company, which is a spin-off of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the University of Lübeck, so special is its 25 years of expertise in cell cultivation. CellTec Systems has also developed a special bioreactor with hydrogel capsules designed to cover the immense space requirements of dividing cells. Professor Dr Charli Kruse, co-founder and scientific director of CellTec Systems, talks to us in an interview about why he describes his colleagues and himself as cell whisperers, how the patented reactor with hydrogel …

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Innocent Meat, a startup pioneering the production of cultivated meat in Germany, announces that it has secured €3 million in financing despite the "challenging market environment."

© Innocent Meat
Cultivated Meat

Innocent Meat Raises €3M for Automated “Plug-and-Produce” Solution for Cultivated Meat

Innocent Meat, a startup pioneering the production of cultivated meat in Germany, announces that it has secured €3 million in financing despite the “challenging market environment.” Anchor investor Venture Capital Fonds MV supported the startup with €500 thousand, and a new undisclosed private investor invested €2.5 million.  In 2020, Laura Gertenbach and Patrick Nonnenmache co-founded Innocent Meat with the goal of transforming meat production through cell-based methods. The company is working on creating an automated plug-and-produce solution for cultivated meat to help meat producers transition to this innovative technology. With the fresh capital, the startup will further develop the existing biocomponents, scale up its pilot plant, and initiate the necessary certification processes. Stem cells and FBS-free serum Innocent Meat’s model will offer food producers access …

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Neggst develops vegan poached and sunny side up eggs

© Neggst
Egg Alternatives

Neggst Develops Poached and Sunny Side Up Vegan Eggs

Germany’s Neggst has announced the development of two new vegan egg products — Poached Neggst and the Neggst Sunny Side Up. The poached egg alternative features a running “yolk” and is suitable for use in dishes such as breakfasts and salads. The Sunny Side Up provides an alternative to fried eggs and can be eaten with avocado toast, English breakfasts, or in a burger. While not yet available to purchase, the new products are said to be coming soon. They were recently exhibited at the trade fair INTERNORGA alongside Neggst’s existing vegan egg products — the Patty and Bites. The Neggst patty is designed for burgers, breakfast muffins, and savoury croissants; it can be eaten cold, or prepared in just a few minutes. The bites …

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GEA unveils a new technology called perfusion, which includes the use of pilot scale bioreactors and a machine for rejuvenating the grown media.

Image courtesy of GEA
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

GEA Unveils “Technological Milestone” for Food Biomanufacturing, Cutting Production Costs of Alt Proteins

GEA, a global leader in engineering systems for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, is unveiling what it claims to be a “technological milestone” — the perfusion platform — at the Anuga FoodTec trade show in Cologne, Germany. The perfusion platform consists of the GEA Axenic-line bioreactors and the GEA kytero single-use separator, designed to enhance productivity and cost efficiency in cell cultivation and precision fermentation. The technology promises to level the price difference between conventional and alternative foods. Tatjana Krampitz, Head of New Food Technology Management at GEA, comments, “We see perfusion as one of the most promising technologies because it cuts the production cost of alternative proteins on several fronts.”  Separating the cells GEA’s perfusion technology separates cells from already depleted nutrient solution and …

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REWE to open fully vegan supermarket

© REWE
Retail & E-Commerce

Germany: REWE to Open First Vegan Supermarket in Former Veganz Store

German retailer REWE is set to open its first fully vegan supermarket, called REWE voll pflanzlich, in Berlin. The store is on the site of the former Veganz supermarket at Warschauer Brücke in Berlin-Friedrichshain, which closed in December after the company decided to focus entirely on product manufacturing. REWE has declined to comment on the news, which was shared by Supermarktblog from an insider source. The publication notes that while a sign with the name of the store is visible on the building, this name has not yet been trademarked. However, Supermarktblog believes the store will open this spring. Notably, REWE Group owns the Austrian supermarket chain BILLA, which has opened two fully vegan stores in Vienna and Graz in recent years. The retailer has …

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Roland Griesebner and Svenja Fritz of Oatly

Roland Griesebner and Svenja Fritz © Oatly
Interviews

Oatly: “We Measure Ourselves as a Company by How Many Litres of Cow’s Milk We Can Replace with Oat Drink”

With the appointment of Roland Griesebner and Svenja Fritz as new managing directors for DACH & Poland, Oatly aims to continue its success story and drive both growth and innovation. Together, Griesebner and Fritz aim to accelerate the company’s expansion, strengthen relationships with retail partners, expand food service and out-of-home partnerships, and further strengthen the brand in DACH and Poland. Oatly is focusing on a sustainable growth strategy to strengthen its leading position in the DACH markets and Poland. Under the new management of Griesebner and Fritz, the company plans to further expand its presence in the region and develop new product categories. A special focus will also be placed on integrating the core business and sustainability goals in order to advance not only the …

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Raffael Wohlgensinger and Hille van der Kaa – Image courtesy of Those Vegan Cowboys
Cheese Alternatives

Formo and Those Vegan Cowboys Reveal “First-of-its-Kind” Collab to Expedite Production of Cow-Free Cheese

Two precision fermentation companies — Germany’s Formo and Those Vegan Cowboys from Belgium — today announce a strategic R&D alliance to accelerate the production of animal-free casein and finally retire cows from cheese production. This “first-of-its-kind” collaboration will bring together over 60 world-leading scientists to create a “powerful and experienced” research team that will improve technological efficiency, including efforts in strain engineering, bioprocessing, and large-scale production of caseins. The companies believe that by joining forces, they can more quickly achieve price parity with milk proteins, thus making cow-free cheese more competitive and accessible to consumers. The companies explain that they plan to combine their manufacturing outputs to achieve economies of scale; nevertheless, each firm will maintain its distinct identity and market its lines of cow-free …

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