Key Takeaways
- Happy Plant Protein, a Finnish food technology company, is partnering with German ingredient manufacturer Crespel & Deiters to scale its dry extrusion technology at Crespel & Deiters' Helmond site, operated by ECP B.V.
- The collaboration marks Happy Plant Protein's first commercial-scale implementation of its technology by a major, established European ingredient manufacturer.
- The companies are producing textured vegetable protein (TVP) from European-grown legumes, including pea and faba bean, using Happy Plant Protein's patented one-step dry extrusion process.
- The technology is designed to reduce bitterness and beany off-notes common in legume proteins while adapting texture, hydration and functionality for meat analogues, hybrid products, ready meals and snacks.
- Happy Plant Protein's technology was a finalist for Most Innovative FoodTech Solution at Food Ingredients Europe in December 2025 and a finalist at the 2026 Proteinnovation Summit in Austria.
Finnish food technology company Happy Plant Protein and German ingredient manufacturer Crespel & Deiters announced a collaboration to bring Happy Plant Protein's dry extrusion technology to commercial scale at Crespel & Deiters' Helmond site, operated by ECP B.V.
Happy Plant Protein Partners With Crespel & Deiters on Commercial-Scale Production
The companies described the collaboration as a milestone in the industrial rollout of Happy Plant Protein's technology, which is built to produce textured vegetable proteins (TVP) from locally grown crops. For Happy Plant Protein, it marks the first commercial-scale use of its technology by a major, established European ingredient manufacturer. For Crespel & Deiters, the project is part of a broader push beyond its traditional wheat focus toward refining a wider range of plant-based raw materials, and the companies are currently working with legumes including pea and faba bean at commercial scale.
Extrusion Technology Reduces Bitterness in Legume Proteins
Crespel & Deiters' Helmond site has produced food extrusion products since 1998 and now houses Happy Plant Protein's patented one-step dry extrusion technology, which the companies said reduces processing complexity while preserving valuable raw material components. The resulting ingredients are designed to improve taste and aroma, cutting the bitterness and beany off-notes often found in legume proteins, and adapted in texture, hydration and functionality for meat analogues, hybrid products, ready meals and snacks. The companies said demand for European-grown protein crops is rising as manufacturers look for alternatives to imported, highly processed protein ingredients, part of a broader push toward sustainability in food supply chains.
Executives Say Collaboration Validates Market Demand
“We are adopting Happy Plant Protein's dry extrusion because it offers a modern, responsible and cost-efficient way to manufacture ingredients. At our Helmond site, we are scaling the technology with our extrusion expertise to produce functional, neutral-tasting TVP from European-grown legumes – faster, more sustainably and closer to our customers' needs,” said Philipp Deiters, CSO Food at Crespel & Deiters.
“This collaboration demonstrates that major ingredient manufacturers are looking for new ways to bring plant proteins to market more efficiently. For us, it validates both the technology and the growing demand for plant-based ingredient solutions in Europe,” said Jari Karlsson, CEO and Co-founder of Happy Plant Protein.
Happy Plant Protein Eyes Wider European Rollout
The Helmond facility represents the first large-scale test of Happy Plant Protein's technology by an established European manufacturer, with production serving food makers seeking regionally sourced protein. The technology was previously a finalist for Most Innovative FoodTech Solution at Food Ingredients Europe in Paris in December 2025, and a finalist at the 2026 Proteinnovation Summit in Austria. The companies called the collaboration the next step toward commercial scale.
