8.3 Partnering to develop tomorrow's feed and food business

More than an investment fund, Nutreco established NuFrontiers to be an active developer of tomorrow’s new feed and food businesses, supporting them with the company’s industry-leading expertise and resources. With its unique expertise, the NuFrontiers team can help fast-track growth, quickly bring products to market, and address major challenges and inefficiencies – including those related to sustainability. NuFrontiers invests in new technologies that are strategically relevant to Nutreco and its business lines, within the focus areas of nutrition, health, digital precision farming, sustainable aquaculture and alternative proteins. They do this through investments in start-ups and scale-ups or in innovative technology partnerships.

In 2022, NuFrontiers invested in two new start- ups, Anfjord Salmon and Roslin Technologies, both of which align with our purpose of Feeding the Future in a sustainable way. Anfjord Salmon, a land-based salmon farming system, utilises technology based on a flow-through system and requires low energy and operating costs, resulting in a minimal environmental impact. Anfjord's facility is also secured, which prevents escapements that could endanger local wild salmon. In addition, bio residues from the facility are collected and reused as fertiliser. Beyond striving for ambitious environmental targets, Anfjord Salmon prioritises salmon welfare, which is evidenced by remarkably low mortality rates and optimal growing conditions.

Roslin Technologies is a developer of cell lines for cultivated meat production; the company has developed pluripotent stem cells with the capacity to self-renew indefinitely and differentiate in desired end-tissues for meat. Cultured protein has the potential to supplement animal protein in feeding a growing population sustainably, and Roslin Technologies offer a solution that addresses a major bottleneck in the cultured protein value chain.

In addition to welcoming these two new start-ups into our portfolio, NuFrontiers hosted the fourth edition of the Nutreco Feed and Food Tech Challenge (NFFTC) in 2022, which aims to identify and accelerate early-stage innovations that could reshape the future of protein production. With over 100 applications from 48 countries, the 2022 NFFTC attracted an impressive and highly competitive group of innovators. Aquarech, Kenya's first fish farming supply chain platform, ultimately received the top prize of a validation trial supported by Nutreco experts to further develop its technology. Aquarech aims to enable fish farmers in Africa to buy top-quality feed, sell fish, and learn about best practices to improve the economic, environmental and social sustainability of fish farming while improving the entire supply chain of high-quality fish to feed to local population.

Stellapps: Making a difference in the rural economy in a sustainable way

Nutreco invested into Stellapps in 2021, a company whose vision is to significantly improve farm profitability in the Indian dairy industry in a sustainable way through its value-added, technology-led platform services.

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Chapters:

8.1 How Nutreco's innovation teams support sustainability
8.2 Propelling scientific progress into sustainable solutions
8.3 Partnering to develop tomorrow's feed and food business