ADM and Marel sign joint venture agreement to build new taste and texture-focused innovation center

Wageningen Campus. Image courtesy of ADM.

ADM (Rolle, Switzerland) has signed a joint venture agreement with Marel (Gardabaer, Iceland), a leading provider of advanced food processing solutions, to build an innovation center in the heart of the Netherland’s food valley at the Wageningen University & Research Campus. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval, but the center is anticipated to open in the second half of 2024.

The innovation center is designed with customer collaboration in mind, so that food manufacturers can work alongside food scientists, extrusion experts and culinary professions to prototype, manufacture, and market new alternative protein products. They will also be able to leverage pilot plant production with novel processing techniques.

“This center is another example of our continued investment in expanding alternative protein innovation that will help meet the needs of a growing global population,” said Allyson Fish, president of global alternative proteins for ADM, in a press release. “Over the last year, we’ve expanded our European-sourced non-GM soy in Serbia, announced significant expansion of alternative protein production in the U.S., and entered into a strategic partnership with Benson Hill to scale and commercialize an innovative ultra-high protein soy protein.

“Partnering with Marel is another important step as we advance protein innovation for the EMEA region and beyond. We’re committed to meeting customer needs and powering continued profitable growth as we live our purpose by supporting a secure and sustainable global food system.”

“This taste and texture-focused innovation center will further strengthen our customer-centric approach in new, emerging market segments,” added Jesper Hjortshoj, vice president of business development at Marel and president of Wenger (a subsidiary of Marel). “Our long-standing relationship with ADM is the foundation of this partnership, and with our downstream processing capabilities, the center will use equipment from Marel and Wenger, enabling unique innovation and creation from raw ingredients, through the extrusion process, right up to finished products.”