Leuven – 22 March 2024
Protealis, a leading seeds and seed technologies developer for profitable and sustainable plant proteins, today announces the launch of four new soy seed varieties. The company herewith takes new steps in achieving its objectives to develop and commercialize legume crops that are better adapted to a colder environment. This creates new opportunities in (Northern) Europe (including Belgium) to increase local protein production, which fits seamlessly in Agri Investment Fund’s mission to help create new and sustainable revenue models for farmers.
Protealis’ new soy varieties – PRO Vesuvio, PRO Helicon, PRO Taranaki and PRO Jacinto – have been bred specifically to deliver both high yield and high protein content in the shorter and colder growing season in Northern Europe, which are essential traits for European farmers looking to switch from traditional break crops such as canola, to a more sustainable and profitable legume crop. The new varieties complement the existing soy seed portfolio of Artemis and Hermes, which immediately topped the official charts in Belgium upon launch in 2021, and expand the portfolio of the company with the first-time registrations in France and Germany.
Benjamin Laga, CEO of Protealis is excited with the registration and launch: “This clearly demonstrates the high-quality product offering we are building for European farmers. As from now, we will be presenting these new varieties to several large players in key expanding soybean markets, looking for premium soybean varieties for both the food and feed market.”
In addition to soy, Protealis continues to advance its yellow pea breeding program and is investing in the development of supporting technology platforms. Protealis recently raised a substantial amount of 22 million euros in a B-round financing for this purpose, in which Agri Investment Fund participated for 2.8 million euros.
AIF contributes to the practical rollout of the new protein strategy
“Until now, growing soy has not been an economically viable option for farmers in Belgium”, says Patrik Haesen, CEO of AIF. “With our investment in Protealis, AIF wants to make new and profitable soy varieties available to the local market, to answer the increased demand for protein-rich crops. Together with its excellent reputation as a rotation crop with cereal crops, this will contribute to a sustainable transformation of agriculture.”
About Protealis
Protealis develops superior plant protein seeds and seed technologies, optimized for the European soil and climate. Being at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, Protealis aims to empower European farmers with sustainable and resilient alternatives to traditional protein sources by developing legume seed solutions with enhanced crop yield and protein levels, while at the same time minimizing the ecological footprint. By addressing the growing demand for more plant-based protein sources, the company is committed to contribute to more sustainable food systems. Today, Protealis is a commercial-stage company with six early maturity soy varieties on the market and is headquartered in the biotechnology cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More info on www.protealis.com, LinkedIn or facebook.
About AIF
Agri Investment Fund BV (“AIF”) is the private equity and venture capital fund of the group Boerenbond (Farmers’ Union) and wishes through its investments to contribute directly or indirectly to a stronger and more sustainable agriculture and horticulture in Flanders and German speaking Belgium. Its investments have a focus within the Ag-Tech and Agro-Food domains aiming at stimulating innovation and as such helping to build a stronger agriculture of the future, allowing farmers and horticulturists to provide high-quality products at honest prices. More information can be found on https://aifund.be .
For further information, please contact:
AIF
Patrik Haesen, CEO
T: +32 (0)16 28 62 54 | E: pers@aifund.be
Protealis
Renate Degrave, Head of Communications and Marketing Protealis
T: +32 471 53 60 64 | E: renate.degrave@protealis.com
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