On November 17, MicroHarvest, a leading biotech company in sustainable protein production, unveiled its state-of-the-art pilot plant in Lisbon, signaling a pivotal moment in transforming the landscape of sustainable food production.
This pilot facility empowers MicroHarvest to conduct in-house labs and extend its capabilities, propelling it swiftly towards commercialization and market readiness. MicroHarvest aims to produce protein samples for its clientele, providing the opportunity to refine its technology and conduct trial production runs before scaling up commercially.
Reflecting on the rapid progress, Katelijne Bekers, MicroHarvest’s CEO, expressed, “Within just six months of opening our Lisbon office, our team has doubled in size, and we’ve achieved an impressive feat by constructing the pilot plant in record time — a truly remarkable journey. Within the next three months, we are on track to introduce our first product to the market. These milestones underscore our commitment to driving real impact by bringing commercially competitive, consistent and sustainable ingredients to market fast.”
Situated at the Factory Lisbon site, MicroHarvest transformed a section of its office space into a fully equipped lab and pilot plant within a mere half-year.
“The speed at which we achieved this demonstrates that we possess the right team and technology to make sustainable protein readily available on a large scale,” emphasized Jonathan Roberz, MicroHarvest’s COO. “This holds crucial significance as we must minimize our food systems’ ecological footprint to stay within planetary boundaries.”
MicroHarvest’s proprietary technology aims to sustainably produce high-quality protein ingredients, boasting over 60% raw protein within a 24-hour timeframe. The company asserts that its approach significantly reduces resource and raw material consumption compared to traditional methods, offering highly competitive, scalable, and consistent protein solutions for the animal feed, pet food, and human nutrition sectors.
“This pilot plant serves as tangible evidence of the scalability of our process,” emphasized Luísa Cruz, MicroHarvest’s CTO. “With a lower investment compared to alternative technologies, and within a mere 200 square meters, we can achieve a daily production of 25 kgs.”
The official launch of the plant took place during a November 16 event attended by MicroHarvest partners and investors.
The unveiling of the pilot plant follows MicroHarvest’s strategic partnership with a venture capital firm, contributing to the company’s total funding exceeding €10 million.
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