One year after acquiring SojaProtein, a European provider of non-GMO soy ingredients, Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) has opened a new extrusion facility in Serbia.
The facility will expand ADM’s footprint in Europe and extend its production of non-GMO textured soy to include origination and extrusion capabilities.
“Our new extrusion facility not only increases the supply of locally sourced, non-GMO textured soy protein in Europe, which is in high demand, it also matches the pace of the incredible expansion of the meat alternatives category in the EMEA region,” said Leticia Gonçalves, president of Global Foods at ADM. “The growth in EMEA, showing a market value of $3 billion at the end of 2021 and an anticipated CAGR of 11.8% between 2021 and 2026, is astounding. With our 75+ years of experience developing tailored protein nutrition solutions now bolstered by both our expert colleagues at SojaProtein and our facility, we’re now even better suited to support our customers’ growth and innovation in the category.”
Unique to the European region, ADM will now offer both origination and extrusion capabilities, which is made possible due to 90% of the soy sourced grown within 100 kilometers of the facility, enabling a local supply chain.
“In just under a year, our operational synergies with SojaProtein have made massive strides to meet demand for non-GMO soy protein,” Ms. Gonçalves said. “We’ll see continued growth with the broader protein solutions toolbox and improved R&D capabilities through the opening of our facility. The ingenuity of the new plant provides advanced extrusion and texturizing equipment, delivering optimized and flexible solutions, ultimately allowing for unmatched speed-to-market for our customers to create in-demand textured plant-based protein offerings with a delicious bite and chew.”
The facility opening builds upon ADM’s extrusion and texturized capacities in North America, in addition to the company’s recently announced substantial investment of $300 million to expand its Decatur, Ill., alternative protein production, as well as the planned opening of a new Protein Innovation Center.
“Our protein capabilities and production capacity continue to grow, and this new facility increases our extrusion capacity in the European region,” Ms. Gonçalves said. “We’re proud to continue the advancement of the alternative protein space for EMEA and around the globe, and our new extrusion facility in Serbia is a significant contributor to this progress today and into the future”, Food Business News writes.
