Tetra Pak New Food Technology Development Centre has opened in Karlshamn, Sweden, ready to help producers of biomass and precision fermentation-derived food products develop their technical processes, define efficient equipment needs, and minimize investment risk. With tailored support from experts, producers can take their New Food from prototype to commercial-scale production.
Forming part of the product development ecosystem offered by Tetra Pak, the New Food pilot plant helps customers of all sizes, from start-ups and scale-ups developing their hero products to established food and beverage companies exploring new food categories.
As investment in the New Food sector becomes harder to secure, commercial viability is more crucial than ever. Drawing on extensive expertise in equipment solutions and product formulation, adapted to the specific needs of new food producers, the new Technology Development Center helps to overcome the challenges associated with scaling up and accelerate the path to profitability. Whether using fermentation to create functional ingredients or formulating for a direct end-use, such as meat and fish substitute products, experts at the Tetra Pak New Food Technology Development Centre can support food producers in their development goals.
A staff of highly skilled biotech and food technologists, lab technicians, and line solution experts collaborate with food producers to design, run and analyze trials customized to their unique microorganism strain features and desired production outcomes. This results in tailored, more efficient processes and production line designs that reduce costs and increase potential profits.
Executive Vice President for Processing Solutions & Equipment at Tetra Pak, Charles Brand, cut the ribbon at the official inauguration held on 13 June. Attendees toured the facility, tasted the products already in development, and learned more about the center’s capabilities.
Food producers working with the center’s experts can benefit from two programs designed to act as a testing framework or select individual tests for a customized experience. The process evaluation program is aimed at companies ready to move from lab-scale production to demo scale or seeking more efficient methods for large-scale production. The productivity validation program supports companies with established production processes looking for validation and improvement of their process performance.
The center’s adaptable, modular setup allows customers to configure customized production lines, reducing both capital expenditure and operational costs. Unlike complex biomanufacturing systems, designers have created these solutions to fit food production—making them efficient, optimally sized, and scalable.
By testing both upstream and downstream processes, producers can develop flexible, future-ready setups that grow with their business. For example, by doing a direct comparison of different technologies for harvest, customers can find the best fit balancing price, product performance and running costs.
Through the Technology Development Centre, food producers can also collaborate with other Tetra Pak product development facilities in Lund to achieve desired food properties and functionalities, trial different final product formulations, and develop brand or product identity to create an effective go-to-market strategy. This close collaboration can speed up time to market and improve process efficiencies.
“At a time when others in the industry are scaling back, we are moving forward, and the Tetra Pak New Food Technology Development Centre represents our most significant commitment to fermentation-derived foods yet. We believe in the need to develop new food sources to feed a growing population, but we understand that scaling new food products is a step into the unknown. That’s exactly where our strengths lie.”
“We know food. We know equipment. Start-ups are struggling with translating production to food scale, and we know how to do that, using our extensive food production experience and development center network to support our customers in up-scaling from prototypes to production lines. New food innovation shouldn’t be viewed as aspirational; it’s about delivering practical solutions that can put food on shelves around the world today.”
– Charles Brand, Executive Vice President for Processing Solutions & Equipment at Tetra Pak.