PARSIPPANY, NJ — Beneo, a manufacturer of functional food and feed ingredients, recently dedicated is first pulse-processing plant in Obrigheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. 

The plant, a nearly $65 million investment by the Südzucker Group, which owns Beneo, will process pulses such as local fava beans, into food and feed ingredients. It sits next to an existing Beneo plant that produces sugar replacer Isomalt and smart carbohydrate Palatinose.

“What began more than 30 years ago with the processing of beet sugar into ingredients with added health benefits is now being continued at the new plant,” Niels E. Hower, a member of Beneo’s Executive Board, said at the dedication ceremony. “The fava bean is a legume with a long history. Here in Obrigheim, we will process it into high-quality, plant-based ingredients that will contribute to future-proofed nutrition.”

The new plant, which is expected to create up to 25 new jobs, is focused on sustainability. It is being powered entirely from renewable energy sources and has a zero-waste approach, ensuring that all raw materials are used.

“Feeding a steadily growing world population in a sustainable way is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of our generation,” said Niels Pörksen, chief executive officer of the Südzucker Group. “The Südzucker Group pursues the vision of contributing to a healthy and sustainable world worth living in – and one of the many ways we are doing this is by investing in the expansion of our plant-based protein division.”