Royal Cosun, a leading Dutch agricultural cooperative, has invested CHF 3 million in Geneva-based fermentation scale-up Planetary SA. This partnership aims to advance the development and commercialization of sustainable, plant-based food ingredients, leveraging Planetary’s innovative BioBlocks fermentation technology.
Royal Cosun, an international cooperative of 8,400 sugar beet growers, has finalized a CHF 3 million investment in Planetary SA. Based in Geneva, Planetary specializes in licensing its BioBlocks fermentation technology to enable large-scale production of bio-based food and materials.
This strategic investment supports Cosun’s ambition to expand its portfolio of plant-based food ingredients as part of its “Unlock strategy”, which prioritizes sustainable solutions in food, feed, biobased ingredients, and green energy. Fermentation, a core focus for both companies, offers a scalable method to produce ingredients that meet consumer expectations for taste, texture, health, and affordability.
As one of Europe’s largest sugar beet cooperatives, Cosun provides the necessary feedstock, technical expertise, and side streams to enhance fermentation processes. The collaboration with Planetary will accelerate the development and commercialization of mycoprotein, a sustainable protein alternative derived from fermentation, and explore its application in various plant-based foods.
Partnership highlights and future goals
In the company’s press release, Thijs Bosch, Managing Director of Cosun Protein, emphasized the significance of Planetary’s biotechnology expertise in achieving Cosun’s strategic goals: “This investment underlines our commitment to becoming a leader in fermentation-enabled ingredients.”
David Brandes, CEO of Planetary, welcomed Cosun as a partner: “Through our symbiotic engineering playbook, Planetary will enable the transformation of Cosun’s agricultural feedstocks into higher-value mycoprotein ingredients, advancing the agricultural and food industries’ sustainability goals.”
Planetary’s innovative fermentation platform aligns with the growing demand for sustainable bio-based products, as highlighted by the McKinsey Global Institute’s projection of a USD 4 trillion bioeconomy. With Cosun’s investment and collaboration, Planetary is ready to further expand the adoption of its BioBlocks technology and deliver impactful solutions for a sustainable future in food and agriculture.
