Beyond Meat has expanded its European production capacity by opening a new co-manufacturing facility and acquiring a new production site, both located in the Netherlands. The co-manufacturing facility is located in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands, and is owned and operated by Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat. The factory will produce the plant-based Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage meat alternatives, and will allow the 'efficient distribution' of these products in the European market. Meanwhile, Beyond Meat also fully-acquired its first manufacturing facility in Europe, located in Enschede, the Netherlands. The Beyond Meat-owned site is the first factory outside of Missouri, US, which can produce texturised plant proteins, the main ingredient in the company's meat alternative products. The fully-owned protein production site will reportedly be fully operational by the end of 2020, and will work in tandem with the Zandbergen site. Additionally, the Zandbergen site will also enable the introduction of new, packaging for the Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage products. According to Beyond Meat, the new packaging features fully recyclable trays and 30% less material overall, compared to the firm's existing packaging. Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, said: “This latest investment in production capacity reflects our continued commitment to serving global markets. “Our new facility in Enschede will not only bring production closer to the consumer, representing an investment in the markets and communities we serve, but is expected to allow us to leverage local supply chains, improving our cost structure and sustainability of operations. "We are excited to take this next step in bringing the nutritional and environmental benefits of our plant-based meats to the European consumer." Adriaan Figee, chief commercial officer of Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat, added: “As the demand for plant-based protein and particularly Beyond Meat products grows in Europe and the Middle East, the official opening of this co-manufacturing facility in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands is timely."