Swedish agricultural and food company Lantmännen has made a significant investment of Skr1.2 billion ($116.4 million) to establish a state-of-the-art factory dedicated to producing plant-based proteins. This facility, set to be located in Lidköping, will primarily focus on processing plant-based proteins derived from peas, while also incorporating fava beans as additional raw materials.
The new plant will have the capacity to process approximately 35,000 tonnes of peas and 5,000 tonnes of fava beans annually. It is projected to produce around 7,000 tonnes of concentrated plant-based protein each year, as reported by Lantmännen. This initiative aligns with the company’s aim to boost Swedish pea cultivation by 50%, increasing production from the current 80,000 tonnes to about 120,000 tonnes.
Magnus Kagevik, the group president and CEO of Lantmännen, emphasized the importance of enhancing food production to meet the demands of a growing global population. He stated, “We need to produce more food to supply the world’s growing population, and there is a global and long-term increasing demand for plant-based proteins as a food ingredient. This investment will strengthen the entire value chain from farm to fork, leading to new cultivation opportunities for farmers and enhancing Sweden’s food production and exports, positively impacting the country’s food supply.”
The Lidköping plant is expected to launch in the first half of 2027 and will create around 30 new jobs. Lars-Gunnar Edh, head of the energy division, highlighted that Lantmännen Biorefineries already produces protein from wheat and oats at existing facilities in Norrköping and Kimstad. With this new venture into legumes, the company aims to capitalize on the steadily increasing demand for plant-based proteins, striving to emerge as a leader in this sector alongside active Swedish farmers. This is indeed a long-term investment in Swedish agriculture and food production.
Earlier this year, Lantmännen divested its prepared food company, Gooh, to Finland’s Atria for an undisclosed amount. Thomas Isaksson, executive vice president of Lantmännen, mentioned, “We have decided to divest the business area in order to focus on our core, which is to create value from the grain value chain.”
In a landscape driven by food and beverage industry trends, this strategic move reflects a clear understanding of evolving food and drink consumer trends, positioning Lantmännen at the forefront of the food and drink business.
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