German plant-based startup Greenforce has announced a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi agritech food Company Silal.
The partnership will make Silal the exclusive sales partner for the company’s plant-based protein products in the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
According to the Munich-based company, it plans to introduce its first products in the form of allergen-free and halal-certified powder products made from ingredients such as peas.
Greenforce shared that its expansion comes against a backdrop of an intensifying climate crisis, interrupted supply chains, population growth, and shifting consumption trends. These issues require a change in food and agricultural systems, especially in dry regions such as the MEA, the company said.
Indeed, the region is on the front lines of the climate crisis, with the MENA region, in particular, warming at nearly twice the global average. It is simultaneously one of the most water-stressed regions in the world, and already, most MENA countries are highly dependent on food imports. In response, countries in the region have ramped up food security efforts in recent years.
According to Greenforce, its powder-form products do not require refrigeration along the supply chain or during storage and only require the addition of water or vegetable oil during preparation. The powder product also has a shelf life of almost two years.
Speaking on the move, Thomas Isermann, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Greenforce, said: “Our goal with Greenforce is to make a contribution to securing the global protein supply for humanity and to drastically reduce factory farming.”
Factory farming dominates globally. In fact, Our World in Data estimates that 94 per cent of farmed animals across the world live in factory farms, with a huge environmental impact. Animal agriculture, more broadly, is responsible for around 60 per cent of agricultural emissions.
“With an intelligent concept, we will be able to offer everything from cultivation to the ready-to-eat end product from a single source in the future,” Isermann added.