PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY, US — Functional ingredients supplier Beneo said it will invest $54 million in a new pulse processing plant in Offstein, Germany. The plant is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024 and will produce protein-rich pulse ingredients for food and animal feed.

Beneo said the facility’s initial focus will be on protein concentrate, starch-rich flour, and hulls from fava beans. The plant will have the option to process other pulses in the future, Beneo said.

“The recent investment by Beneo into a new pulse production site is only the starting point,” said Christoph Boettger, a member of Beneo’s executive board. “We strongly believe in plant-based ingredients and therefore see the new plant as an important first step in enlarging our protein offering moving forward. This will enable us to produce a wider variety of sustainable plant-based protein ingredients over the coming years.”

Beneo also noted that pulses fit into its sustainability program. The company said fava beans provide nitrogen for themselves and subsequent plants, eliminating the need for nitrogen fertilization. The fava beans to be processed at the new plant will be locally sourced from farmers that are certified by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Beneo said. In addition, Beneo said the production process it will use features low energy consumption in comparison to alternative processes.

Beneo said it will process raw ingredients at intermediate production facilities until the new plant in Germany is operational.