JUST (Eat JUST, Inc.), a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced yesterday a partnership to expand its protein processing capacity with Emsland Group, a worldwide leader in manufacturing raw materials from vegetables.
This partnership will provide the scale needed to meet increasing global demand for the award-winning, plant-based product marketed as JUST Egg in the United States.
“Our partnership with Emsland Group is not only an innovative and creative development in the world of protein processing but it will ultimately help us make JUST Egg more accessible and affordable to customers and consumers around the globe,” Josh Tetrick, Co-Founder and CEO of JUST, said in a statement. “We are excited to learn from their more than 90 years of experience and leadership in the food industry, guided by the philosophy ‘using nature to create.’”
Headquartered in Emlichheim, Germany, Emsland Group has manufactured innovative pea and potato products that are essential elements in a wide range of food applications since 1928.
Partnering with JUST to process mung bean protein, the key ingredient in JUST Egg, is a first for the venerable farmer cooperative and will help ensure a manufacturing infrastructure for JUST Egg that is dependable, efficient, and expandable.
Yesterday’s news comes on the heels of JUST’s December acquisition of a 30,000-square-foot factory in Appleton, Minnesota, that specializes in patented protein extraction methods for JUST Egg.
It also follows the company’s March announcement of a host of global strategic partnerships to manufacture and distribute JUST Egg across North America, Europe, Latin America, and East Asia.
Emsland Group’s protein processing partnership with JUST and expertise in starch extraction and utilization for various food products are critical components of making JUST Egg one of the lowest-cost and most sustainable proteins on the planet.
This alliance will allow the manufacturing partners to access mung bean protein more easily and create a new revenue stream from the sale of the legume’s high starch content.
In an effort to make JUST Egg accessible to more consumers, the company has increased efficiencies in sourcing, protein processing, and manufacturing. American shoppers are now able to purchase JUST Egg at a much more competitive price than when it launched nationally last year.
JUST Egg’s Grocery sales velocity in the United States has grown 51% since December, with large gains at top national grocery store chains. In April, a new frozen, folded JUST Egg debuted in retail stores and supermarkets throughout the U.S. with sales velocity growing 150% in a matter of weeks.
