Cosucra has announced it will open a second pea processing plant in Denmark after completing a €35 million (US$38.5m) expansion of its pea plant in Belgium in 2018. COSUCRA is now in a position to further support its client's innovation through pea ingredients, including pea protein and this increased capacity will continue its development in the fast-evolving market for plant-based food.
The commissioning will take place in the first half of 2020.
The project includes the renovation and upgrading of a former soybean processing plant in the port of Aarhus. The plant will be jointly operated by the current owner, AABT and Cosucra.
The facility will process local peas from the Baltic region, transported by sea-vessel to the plant. This arrangement gives Cosucra close access to the new EU pea growing areas of Denmark, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The project aims to minimise the CO2 footprint of the process by transforming the secondary products into valuable biogas through an agreement signed with a local biogas plant.
Long-term plans
The Danish pea processing project is part of COSUCRA's €60m ($66m) multi-year development programme to support the growth in pea protein and chicory root fibre.
"Cosucra's commitment is to offer all consumers concerned with the future of our planet, a range of natural ingredients with better taste and excellent nutritional profile," says Cosucra's Commercial Director, Eric Bosly.
"Cosucra's optimised energy process allows us to offer a PISANE [a pea ingredient] with a CO2 footprint of 4MT/T which is far lower than other protein alternatives," Bosly added.
Pea protein is no longer used to reduce costs, but for its health, functional and sustainable benefits. This is in part due to the market for plant-based products becoming one of the 10 major trends in the food industry. Plant protein, amongst which pea protein in particular, has been adopted by mainstream flexitarians while supporting vegans and people concerned by their well-being. Launches of products containing pea protein have increased six-fold in 6 years and the scope of the categories has been broadened.
Transformation
Cosucra is a Belgian family-owned business that was originally involved in sugar production. The group has since undergone a major transformation to become a pioneer in the production of healthy ingredients derived from chicory and pea.
Cosucra is targeting a 50% revenue increase while providing 50 additional jobs.