April 29, 2021

By Lynda Kiernan, Global AgInvesting Media

For a global animal protein giant, Cargill has been pivoting to grab a share of the plant-based and alternative foods markets. 

In 2017 the company entered into a strategic partnership with Delacon – the pioneering global leader in plant-based feed additives. The year 2018 opened with the company investing $25 million in PURIS – the largest pea protein maker in North America. The next year Cargill made a follow-on investment in Puris of another $75 million. In 2019 Cargill also invested in Israel-based cellular meat startup Aleph Farms, and last year the company launched its very own plant-based protein brand, PlantEver.

Now Cargill has made its latest announcement – an investment in Dutch startup Bflike, a startup created by the incubator Blue Ocean Xlerator NV (BOX NV), that uses proprietary technology to evolve the meat and fish alternative categories. Key to this goal is Bflike’s patent-pending vegan fat and blood platforms – which enable the production of products that are virtually indistinguishable (raw or cooked) from their animal counterparts in regard to texture, mouthfeel, melting behavior, or cooking performance.

The investment will be realized through a joint venture with BOX NV, a Dutch private accelerator focused on sustainable innovations in the food sector.

“Global volume consumption of protein is expected to nearly double by 2050,” said Belgin Köse, segment director Enrichment & Renewability for Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers Europe. “Plant-based protein, as a complement to animal protein, will help fulfill growing consumers’ desire for more options as part of a balanced diet.”

This partnership will bring together Cargill’s extensive food ingredients solutions with Bflike’s innovative technology and recipes to create the opportunity to bring the best plant-based products to market quickly and affordably by licensing Bflike’s proprietary technology and premix ingredient solutions to food producers and retailers.

Through BOX NV, Bflike also benefits from technical support from TOP BV, a Dutch food technology service provider based in Wageningen Food Valley, and a subsidiary of BOX NV, enabling Bflike to generate a robust pipeline of meat and fish alternative formulations ready to reach the market this year.

“BOX and TOP have spent years developing a pipeline of diet enrichment solutions, allowing manufacturers and retailers to offer affordable, meat and fish alternatives that truly mirror the sensory experiences of traditional animal-based products,” said Koos van Haasteren, CEO, Bflike. “Now together with Cargill as a development partner, we can help expand the possibilities with a new generation of nutritious products that will continue to revolutionize the plant-based marketplace.”

However, equally important is how this partnership with Cargill will position customers to seamlessly advance from pilot to commercialization, allowing them to rapidly scale up using their own production process and machinery, while still being supported by Cargill’s reliable supply of critical ingredients.

Köse noted, “This joint venture is another way in which Cargill is enabling plant-based alternatives that exceed consumer expectations and enrich consumer diets with responsible, sustainable and affordable options in various geographies.”

– Lynda Kiernan is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She can be reached at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.