Uzwil (Switzerland), Augsburg (Germany), June 10, 2021 – Swiss Bühler Group and Hosokawa Alpine Group from Germany have signed a strategic collaboration agreement to accelerate and strengthen the production of healthier and sustainable plant protein solutions. Together, the companies will provide customers with the most efficient value chain for pulses being processed into protein ingredients.
As the leading solution provider in pulses processing, Bühler offers solutions for the intake, cleaning, dehulling and grinding of pulses, and further food processing with its extrusion technology, which texturizes plant-based proteins into products with fibrous texture similar to meat. Hosokawa Alpine complements the production process by adding its leading technology for the dry separation of pulses’ protein: fine grinding and air classification. The combination of Bühler’s upstream pulses process and Hosokawa’s process for size reduction and classification produces the highest yields of high value protein concentrates. Ultimately, with this partnership the companies will be able to offer customers process technology and expertise along the complete field-to-fork pulses protein chain.
Hosokawa Alpine as preferred partner
“Hosokawa Alpine will be our preferred partner for integrated solutions for our customers that are processing sustainable proteins. Thanks to their vast expertise in protein extraction, we can now cover the entire value chain for plant-based protein – from any kind of pulses to dry extrudates ready for consumption,” says Johannes Wick, CEO Bühler Grains & Food.
This statement is echoed by Dr. Antonio Fernández, chairman of the executive board at Hosokawa Alpine: “By working with Bühler, we can fully realize the potential of the value chain. With our combined technologies, we meet the market requirements in the best possible way and drive developments in the process chain forward.”
Seamless customer experience at the center
The strategic partnership will strengthen the innovation and development capacities of both companies. The market for sustainable proteins has been growing significantly over the last years, fueled by end consumers demanding more sustainable proteins. “With this cooperation, we can address customer needs from the harvest to the final product. We operate in an integrated and collaborative way to ensure a seamless experience for our customers. This starts with our application centers in Uzwil, Switzerland, and the brand-new Food Application Center in Minneapolis, US, created to develop new methods of transforming pulses and grains into tasty new food solutions. They are complemented by Hosokawa Alpine’s facilities in Augsburg, Germany, all of them being available for customer trials. Our collaboration goes through to commissioning and services ensuring high-quality outputs for our customers,” says Andreas Risch, Head of Special Grains & Pulses at Bühler.
Besides this latest collaboration agreement, Bühler and Hosokawa Alpine have been working together in different projects and industries since the 1980s. This led the two partners to the conclusion that their strong customer focus and innovation power make for a strong fit for the sustainable protein sector. Apart from this cooperation agreement, both companies will continue to market their solutions independently through their own existing distribution channels.
Pulses and their advantages
Peas, lentils, chickpeas, and many other dry beans are high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, which makes them an excellent meat substitute. Pulses sit at the top of the list when it comes to providing a growing world population with plant protein. Their cultivation is more resource efficient than most animal protein sources, with a positive impact on sustainability.
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About Hosokawa Alpine
Hosokawa Alpine AG is a worldwide leading and innovative machine and system manufacturer with headquarters in Augsburg and a branch in Leingarten. The company also has several subsidiaries in Germany and abroad. The core competence of Hosokawa Alpine lies in the business field of mechanical process engineering with the production of machines and systems for the preparation of powders, granulates and bulk materials as well as in the business field of film extrusion with systems for the production and finishing of blown films. The company employs around 812 people and generated annual sales of around 200 million euros in the 2019/2020 financial year. The company’s export quota is around 80 percent. Since 1987, the company has been a 100% subsidiary of the Japanese Hosokawa Micron Corporation. www.hosokawa-alpine.com
About Bühler
Bühler is driven by its purpose of creating innovations for a better world, balancing the needs of economy, humanity, and nature. As a relevant solution partner for the food and mobility industries, Bühler is committed to reduce energy, waste, and water in its customers’ value chains by 50% by 2025. Billions of people come into contact with Bühler technologies as they cover their basic needs for food and mobility every day. Two billion people each day enjoy foods produced on Bühler equipment; and one billion people travel in vehicles manufactured using parts produced with Bühler technology. Countless people wear eyeglasses, use smart phones, and read newspapers and magazines – all of which depend on Bühler process technologies and solutions. Having this global relevance, Bühler is in a unique position to turn today’s global challenges into sustainable business. Bühler contributes to safely feeding the world and is doing its part to protect the climate, producing solutions that make cars, buildings, and machinery more energy efficient.
Bühler invests up to 5% of turnover into research and development. In 2020, some 12,500 employees generated a turnover of CHF 2.7 billion. As a Swiss family-owned company, Bühler is active in 140 countries around the world and operates a global network of 100 service stations, 33 manufacturing sites, and application and training centers in 24 locations. www.buhlergroup.com
