Umiami's plant-based chicken breast. © Umiami
Umiami has acquired a former Unilever factory in Alsace, France, that will be the location of its first commercial-scale production facility.
Located in Duppigheim, Umiami’s new manufacturing site is expected to be operational from the second half of 2023 and will produce plant-based meat and fish alternatives using the company’s patented technology.
Umiami says that it will be able to redeploy some of the existing equipment at the former Knorr site, reducing the project’s environmental impact compared with constructing a new factory from scratch.
Commenting on the location, CEO and co-founder Tristan Maurel said: “The region’s industrial know-how and strategic positioning at the heart of Europe convinced us that Alsace was the best place for our development”.
According to Umiami, the factory will eventually be able to produce up to 22,000 tons of plant-based meat and fish alternatives, of all cuts, and is expected to create 200 jobs in the long term.
The company has developed a protein texturizing technology called umization, that it says enables the production of thick, whole cut plant-based products with fibres similar to those of meat.
Reechad Benyahia, chief operating officer, said: “The products we offer are produced using totally innovative technology. They need to be perfect in terms of their tasting pleasure, their nutritional characteristics and their consistent quality over time. The transition to industrial production could not tolerate the slightest deviation. We perfected it for months in our pilot factory in order to obtain a result we can be proud of.”
Umiami will receive a government grant of €7.4 million to help finance the investments required to establish its Duppigheim industrial site. The company is also in line for €3 million of funding from the Grand-Est region.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024
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