Beneo’s €50m pulse processing plant opens

Beneo’s new €50m processing in Germany was under construction for 18 months

(Image: Beneo)

The facility has been under construction for the last 18 monthsBeneo’s new facility will focus on pulse processing for food, with waste going into feed and follows a €50 investment from owner Südzucker Group.

Local faba production in the vicinity of the Obrigheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany site will feed production.

“Beneo’s new plant represents a strong commitment to Rhineland-Palatinate as a business hub,” says Rhineland-Palatinate minister for economic affairs Daniela Schmitt.

“At the same time, the investment is driving innovation in the food industry and strengthening regional value creation. Future-oriented projects like this secure jobs, promote sustainable economic activity and strengthen rural areas.”

Beneo’s new faba facilityAround 25 jobs will be created at the new plant, which sits next to Beneo’s Isomalt sugar replacer facility on a campus of 4,000 square metres.

The plant runs on 100% renewable electricity, with additional power generated by a rooftop photovoltaic system and production waste heat used to heat the building. No water is required in pulse processing.

Being built to ensure zero-waste also means the all raw materials are fully utilised as ingredients for the food and animal feed industries.

Faba beans and other pulses require no nitrogen fertiliser and enhance the soil quality for future crops.

Environmentally-friendly fabaThe business’s faba beans are grown in Germany, in close proximity to the production plant, and are REDCert2 certified.

“Feeding a steadily growing world population in a sustainable way is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of our generations,” says Südzucker Group CEO Niels Pörksen.

In a bid to play its part in tackling the challenge, the Südzucker Group is investing in the expansion of its protein division, with the opening of the new pulse site a mission milestone.

There’s also an increasing demand from eco-conscious consumers for products that help them to eat less or no meat.

Some 27% of Europeans identify as flexitarians, with over half reducing their meat consumption in 2022.