Crespel & Deiters Group invests in expansion of extrudate production

The Crespel & Deiters Group, one of the leading wheat processors in Europe, is expanding the factory of Extruded Cereal Products (ECP), a wholly-owned company that specializes in the extrusion of agricultural raw materials. Following the commissioning of a new production line at the Helmond site in the Netherlands in 2022, the manufacturing, storage capacities and office space are now being enlarged. The overall investment specifically promotes the Crespel & Deiters Group’s broadening of its food segment and is part of a growth strategy that includes the recent opening of a new company in the USA.

The symbolic laying of the cornerstone on 9 June 2023 represents the next stage of the site expansion. In the initial construction phase, additional storage capacities will be created and a new administration building will be built. The operational processes structured in this way will create space for the subsequent expansion in production. The adjoining extrusion technology center is also being enlarged. There, the Crespel & Deiters Group R&D team develops customer-specific solutions that are first tested on a small scale with the help of a laboratory extruder and then scaled up, saving time and money.

“No other process other than extrusion is able to produce such highly functional ingredients using purely physical processes," said Steffen von Glahn, Global Head of Operations at Crespel & Deiters. "As texturizers, extrudates have massive potential to help shape product innovations in the plant-based segment and in healthy, protein-rich foods. Demand is already high and we expect it to continue to grow, so we are investing now.”

With increased capacities, the Crespel & Deiters Group will be even better able to meet the increased international demand for extrudates in the future. These are popular for products from the fast-growing plant-based sector as well as for protein-rich foods for health-conscious consumers. Texturates serve as the basis for the production of meat alternatives, while crispies create a crunchy effect and add protein to snacks, breakfast cereals and sports nutrition products.

ECP is one of the international technology leaders in the extrusion of cereal and protein products and has been part of the Crespel & Deiters Group since 2020. The product development team at Loryma, the group’s food specialist, integrates the extrudates into comprehensive application concepts and supports international manufacturers. Sales in the USA are handled by the recently founded Crespel & Deiters Food USA LP.

The investment is also a commitment to production in the Netherlands, which means that all of the group’s value-added steps – from the production of wheat starch and wheat proteins to the refinement into customer-oriented solutions – will continue to take place in Europe.