ProteinDistillery, a scale-up using a patented process to transform biomass sources into functional protein, has announced that its facility in Heilbronn, Southern Germany, will become a Protein Competence Center from January 2026.
The FSSC 22000-certified facility will be transformed into a hub for production and R&D collaborations relating to food ingredients and novel foods. It will be designed to support companies, including start-ups and scale-ups, from prototypes through to commercial production.
The Center will enable modular contract manufacturing possibilities such as spray-drying, grinding, and purification, along with final cleaning and formulation. In future, the company hopes to add an analytics center and a lab space with process and product facilities.
ProteinDistillery has built its production facility over the past year, with the aim of proving the lab-to-demo scalability of its functional protein production and beginning market entry in Germany and Europe. The scale-up is currently focusing on transforming brewer’s yeast into Prewtein®, a yeast protein-based alternative to egg, plant-based proteins, and binders. ProteinDistillery eventually plans to experiment with other industry side streams.
Staying ahead of industry trends
Last year, ProteinDistillery entered a partnership with leading German machinery and instrumentation supplier NETZSCH. Through this collaboration, the scale-up is integrating grinding technology, analytics, and cutting-edge purification methods into its processes.
NETZSCH provides ProteinDistillery with machinery that is essential for isolating protein from fermented biomass in order to create Prewtein. The two companies are also engaging in co-development efforts, providing NETZSCH with a strategic opportunity to diversify and innovate within new areas.
ProteinDistillery previously secured over €15 million in seed funding in March 2024 to support the expansion and launch of the Protein Competence Center. The company broke ground on the facility around a year ago, celebrating with an event attended by various notable figures.
“Partnering with an agile scale-up enables NETZSCH to stay ahead of industry trends and explore fresh avenues for growth, ultimately enriching their portfolio and reinforcing their position as a forward-thinking leader in the industry,” says ProteinDistillery. “Moreover, it accelerates ProteinDistillery’s market penetration through established production to bring its solutions to a wider audience.”
