Harvest B has opened an ingredient facility that will supply meat alternative manufacturers with plant-based proteins from Australian-grown grains.

Located in Sydney, the facility will initially produce up to 1,000 metric tonnes of product. Supplied to food brands, manufacturers and foodservice providers, the proteins will be used to make items such as sausages, patties and mince, as well as the company’s own whole meat products.

Through the local manufacturing capability, Harvest B hopes to displace imported plant protein while growing exports.

The company says that the facility will add value to locally grown grains, while generating high-skilled local jobs.

“When investigating the plant-based protein market, it became apparent that there was not a single large-scale ingredient brand supplying high-quality, locally made plant proteins to Australian food manufacturers,” said Harvest B co-founder and CCO, Alfred Lo.

“Now food manufacturers have the option to source locally developed products leveraging local inputs rather than resorting to international suppliers.”

Harvest B co-founder and CEO, Kristi Riordan, added: “It made absolutely no sense that high-quality, Australian-grown produce is shipped offshore to be processed only for us to buy it back at higher costs as finished consumer products. It became quickly evident to Harvest B that there was a significant opportunity for this value add to be done in Australia, creating local jobs and greater export opportunities.”

With backing from the federal government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre and industry partners, including Woolworths’ venture fund (W23), Harvest B intends to initially develop ten different product lines.

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