The future looks green | Grassa BV wins €50.000 for protein pilot!

The "Upcycling of Horticulture Side Streams"-challenge came to an exciting end at Foodvalley NL's Innovation Insights meeting on May 23rd. The challenge was organized by Stichting Innovatie Glastuinbouw Nederland (SIGN), Brave New Food and Foodvalley NL in partnership with Starthubs. Its goal? Finding innovative solutions to convert horticulture by-products into valuable proteins, enzymes, and supplements.

More about this challenge 

Creating plant proteins from tomato leaves and stems

Among the participants, Grassa BV emerged as the rightful winner. They secured the prize for their market-ready refinery technology, well-defined logistic processes, and expertise in upcycling supply chains. Following a pitch session and presentation, Grassa BV was awarded a €50,000 stimulation budget to start a pilot project. Their focus is on producing at least 500 KG of plant proteins from tomato side streams, including leaves and stems.

Grassa impressed the jury with their sophisticated refinery solution and demonstrated their ability to forge crucial partnerships. Their business proposition addressed specific aspects of the new upcycling chain, providing clear scenarios for organizing the pilot project and generating ingredients for various markets in the agrifood value chain.

Next steps

Grassa's victory is an important milestone in pursuing sustainable solutions. Although the next steps, such as the initiation of the pilot project or ongoing developments, are yet to be announced, the collaboration between Grassa, the challenge organizers, and their partner Brave New Food promises further exploration and an interesting future ahead. We can’t wait to see how this beautiful collaboration unfolds!

Want to congratulate Grassa? Check out the Linkedin post