Food tech company Harvest B has opened Australia’s first plant-based protein facility aimed at helping transform the country’s domestic food manufacturing capability.
Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic said the new facility, located at Penrith, will enable Harvest B to supply plant-based proteins to food brands and manufacturers across Australia, establishing a new local supply chain and increasing Australia’s domestic manufacturing capability and export potential.
“Harvest B’s high-quality, locally sourced products will boost Australia’s plant-based food industry, which has strong potential for future growth,” the minister said during the facility’s opening on Tuesday, 13 December.
The new facility is expected to create about 30 new jobs in Western Sydney and deliver opportunities for Australian farmers and agribusiness.
Harvest B’s plant-based meat ingredients will offer a wholesale solution to consumer-facing food brands, manufacturers, and food service companies that look for a great-tasting, clean-label certified plant-based meat product that costs less than comparable animal protein.
The food tech company received $1 million in co-investment from the government’s $30 million Commercialisation Fund, administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) in June 2021 to construct the new facility.
Harvest B’s product is expected to help decarbonise the supply chain by offering a product that does not require a cold-chain solution. It also touts a shelf life far superior to that of imported plant-based and locally sourced animal-based proteins, AMGC said in a press release.
“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. Now food manufacturers have the option to source locally developed products leveraging local inputs rather than resorting to international suppliers,” said Harvest B co-founder and CCO Alfred Lo.
In his speech at the facility’s opening, Husic said the Albanese government seeks to revitalise Australia’s advanced manufacturing by backing companies like Harvest B.
“Australia has a strong reputation as producer of safe, premium, high-quality foods, and Harvest B will support domestic businesses to capitalise on the growing demand for plant-based protein foods,” the minister said.
