FPP Amsterdam Speaker Spotlight: Susanne Wiegel, Investment Manager, Nutreco NuFrontiers

Nutreco’s Susanne Wiegel describes how the global expert in animal nutrition and aquafeed is now turning its focus to speeding up commercialization efforts in alternative proteins

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Susanne Wiegel is the Investment Manager for Alternative Proteins at Nutreco NuFrontiers, which is the company’s strategic innovation and investment department. Nutreco recently opened a new Dutch facility that’s taking a unique approach to enabling alternative proteins development. But what exactly is this ‘facility’? “It is the world’s first food-grade cell feed production plant, dedicated to the cellular agriculture industry and aimed at facilitating the success of this exciting sector,” explains Wiegel.

In terms of how the facility can assist alternative proteins startups in bringing their concepts to commercialization, Wiegel reveals, “It provides nutritional inputs – cell culture media – to cell-cultured protein companies to help them scale efficiently, customize their production processes, and access expertise on cell feed for formulations, regulatory guidance and sustainability.”

Society needs to produce more protein and from more varied sources – animal protein as well as alternative sources such as plant-based protein, and meat or seafood developed from animal cells or produced through fermentation

It’s clear from the launch of this facility that cellular agriculture is where Nutreco, via its NuFrontiers arm, is placing its bets in terms of commercial success in the new food marketplace. But Wiegel is keen to point out that this is not the organization’s only focus. “Society needs to produce more protein and from more varied sources – animal protein as well as alternative sources such as plant-based protein, and meat or seafood developed from animal cells or produced through fermentation,” she states. “Our investments and innovation for the cell-cultured protein industry are just one way we’re tackling the challenge. We have chosen a two-pronged approach by funding promising startups as well as investing into our own future business as a nutritional input supplier to the cellular agriculture industry – and our new cell feed production site is part of this approach.”

Cellular superheroes

When asked what she regards as the hero cell-cultured protein companies in Nutreco’s current investment portfolio, Wiegel instantly cites BlueNalu, Mosa Meat, and Roslin Technologies. Commenting on these firms, she details, “What makes BlueNalu and Mosa Meat special is their pioneering work in cell-cultured seafood and meat, focusing on sustainable, scalable solutions to feed the growing global population and being frontrunners in this space. And Roslin Technologies is an ecosystem player that develops high-quality cell lines for cell-cultured protein companies to accelerate their path to commercialization. Besides cell-cultured protein, Nutreco also invested in ENOUGH, one of the leading players in the mycoprotein space – a highly relevant food ingredient that we expect to lift alternative proteins to the next level.”

There are many companies focusing on the whole value chain from A to Z, but we believe it is necessary for players to specialize and work more in partnerships to get cellular agriculture to commercialization

On taking products to the next level in general, like many investors in this space, Nutreco has noticed the trend towards specialization. “For instance, in cellular agriculture, we are interested in startups that further build the ecosystem,” explains Wiegel. “There are many companies focusing on the whole value chain from A to Z, but we believe it is necessary for players to specialize and work more in partnerships to get cellular agriculture to commercialization. As a startup company, it is hard to do everything yourself.”

That last point is something of an understatement, as any founder will testify to. So, in Wiegel’s opinion, what can startups do to make things easier for themselves in terms of attracting the funding that will help set them on the right path? “Startups beginning their funding journey should focus on showcasing clear scalability, sustainable impact, and a strong market need for their innovation,” she feels. “What makes a startup attractive to Nutreco is a solid scientific foundation, a well-defined path to commercialization, and the potential to contribute to the future of sustainable food production.” She also advises that startups try to include food corporates – at least through collaborations – early on. “Ultimately, there is very little value built without the support of the corporate players in the food value chain at some point in your journey.”

Wiegel illustrates there how the word ‘corporate’ has lost some of the negative connotations it once had; there are many ‘corporate’ organizations working in the food space with enormous capacity to do good and that share the same altruistic aims as the startups they are supporting. “What I find most compelling about the food sector is its immense potential to address global challenges,” Wiegel observes. “We badly need a system for sustainable feeding of a growing population. The combination of novel technologies and innovative product solutions in alternative proteins offers a transformative opportunity to create a more resilient and sustainable food system, which is both exciting and crucial for the future.” And Wiegel herself is a proud foodie. “I just love cooking with friends and family. What is better than working towards feeling good about what we enjoy together?”

Susanne will be giving her presentation on Day 1, 23 October 2024, at The Future of Protein Production Amsterdam, entitled, 'From idea to shelf: how Nutreco's new Dutch facility can supercharge your alternative protein journey'. Join her and another +100 speakers and 450 attendees by booking your pass today! Click here