BENEO officially inaugurated its first pulse-processing plant.

The opening results from an investment of around nearly $65 million by the Südzucker Group at its site in Obrigheim, Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. To mark the occasion, on April 11th, a special inauguration ceremony was attended by Daniela Schmitt (Minister of Economic Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate), Johannes Steiniger (Member of the German Bundestag), Nicole Eicher (Mayor of Obrigheim), Dr. Niels Pörksen (CEO of the Südzucker Group), Olivier Roques (CEO of BENEO GmbH), Niels E. Hower (Member of the Executive Board of BENEO GmbH) and Dirk Dinger (Chairman of the Works Council of the Obrigheim plant). 

“BENEO's new plant represents a strong commitment to Rhineland-Palatinate as a business hub. At the same time, the investment is driving innovation in the food industry and strengthening regional value creation. Future-oriented projects like this secure jobs, promote sustainable economic activity and strengthen rural areas,” said Daniela Schmitt, Minister of Economic Affairs for Rhineland-Palatinate. 

Up to 25 new jobs will be created at the new plant, which has been built next to the existing BENEO site where its sugar replacer Isomalt and the smart carbohydrate Palatinose (isomaltulose) are produced. The area is around 4,000 square meters, about half the size of a soccer field. Sustainability has been a key focus for the new development, with the plant production running entirely on electricity from renewable energy sources. Additional power is generated by a rooftop photovoltaic system, and waste heat from production is used to heat the building, while the pulse processing requires no water. 

The site’s sustainability credentials are further reinforced by a zero-waste approach, ensuring that all raw materials are fully utilized as ingredients for the food and animal feed industries. The faba bean itself also plays a key role in sustainable agriculture, as pulses require no nitrogen fertilizer and enhance the soil quality for future crops. BENEO’s faba beans are grown in Germany, in close proximity to the production plant, and are REDCert² certified, which is equivalent to the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) from SAI at the highest “Gold” level.

At the inauguration event, Niels E. Hower, member of BENEO’s Executive Board, emphasized the combination of tradition and innovation at the Obrigheim site: “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. The faba 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.”

“Feeding a steadily growing world population in a sustainable way is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of our generation,” added Dr. Niels Pörksen, CEO 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. Today is therefore an important milestone for us.”