Leuven, Belgium, 4 March 2025
Agri Investment Fund (“AIF”) is proud to announce that its portfolio company, Protealis, is launching three new soybean varieties tailored to grow in the more moderate regions in northern-central Europe. Additionally, the registrations of certain existing breeds were expanded so that they can be marketed in more countries. This milestone marks a significant advancement in high-performing legume crops in Europe and reinforces our commitment to sustainable agricultural innovation.
New High-Performance Soybean Varieties for Belgium
Protealis, a leader in the development of superior plant protein seeds and seed technologies, has introduced PRO Denali as their first variety in the 00 maturity group, which offers excellent first pod height for efficient harvesting and delivers stable, high yields. Other approved and registered new soy varieties in Belgium include PRO Fogo (000 group), characterized by its high yield in drier conditions, and PRO Volcano (000 group), offering a great adaptability to northern climates, combined with a good yield-protein balance. In addition, PRO Taranaki, a 000 group variety which was already registered in Germany, is now also registered in Belgium. This variety combines high yield with exceptional protein content, making it ideal for food applications.
Advancing Sustainable Agriculture in Europe
Since its foundation in 2021, Protealis has rapidly expanded its product portfolio to nine soybean varieties. The company’s state-of-the-art breeding technologies, including AI-driven selection, have revolutionized soybean cultivation in northern Europe, where historically, the lack of high-performance varieties hindered growth. Today, Protealis is at the forefront of delivering high-quality and locally grown soy for both food and feed applications.
Protealis’ focus on developing legume seed solutions optimized for European soil and climate aligns perfectly with AIF’s mission to promote sustainable agricultural practices and to provide the necessary and improved inputs to local farmers.
To further support its growing product portfolio, Protealis has expanded its sales and marketing team with three new roles. Active efforts are being made to expand the regional soybean acreage and to promote collaborations with the food and feed industry, which is increasingly demanding locally grown, high-quality, protein-rich legumes.
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 nine early maturity soy varieties on the market and a yellow pea program in the pipeline. The company 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 www.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 | renate.degrave@protealis.com
Full press release:
https://www.protealis.com/press-releases/protealis-launches-three-new-soybean-varieties
