Leuna (German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt), July 15, 2026. Whether for the plate or the trough, Europe is not producing enough protein to feed people and animals. European countries are dependent on imports to meet the majority of their protein needs – first of all from soyabeans, only eight percent of which is grown in the EUⁱ. MicroHarvest, a Hamburg-based biotech scale-up company, is addressing the deficit with a production plant in Leuna Chemical Park, which is the first facility in Europe to produce high-grade protein on an industrial scale. The plan is to produce 15,000 metric tons of protein per year, by biomass fermentation from regional agricultural side streams, on a gross floor area of around 5,800 square meters. With a mid-double-digit million-euro investment, MicroHarvest will create about 25 new jobs in Leuna. In the planning phase, Drees & Sommer SE’s expert teams are supporting MicroHarvest with project management and general planning. The company specializes in providing advisory services relating to construction, real estate and infrastructure. Production is scheduled to start in the first half of 2028. 

The market for alternative protein is among the most dynamic markets of the future. According to a study of Boston Consulting Group and Blue Horizon, the global alternative-protein market is projected to reach a volume of at least 97 million tons by 2035ⁱⁱ. “When you depend on Argentina, Brazil or the United States for the supply of protein, you have little room for maneuver when ports are blockaded, harvests fail, or export duties are imposed. Our project in Leuna offers us the chance to become independent and resilient. We have to grasp this opportunity now,” said Jonathan Roberz, co-founder and chief operating officer of MicroHarvest. 

24 Hours from Raw Material to Protein

The scale-up company produces protein through fermentation by microorganisms that have produced food reliably for thousands of years – creating, for instance, yoghurt from milk, sauerkraut from cabbage, and kimchi from vegetables. These microorganisms are fed with agricultural side streams such as molasses, a by-product of sugar production – large quantities of which are generated in the agricultural region around Leuna. 

The fermentation takes place in closed stainless steel tanks, where microorganisms consume the molasses and build proteins from it. Jonathan Roberz explained: “Our process is similar to that of a brewery, but it is significantly faster and instead of alcohol it produces high-grade protein in powder form.” The dried biomass has a raw protein content of over 60 percent, 20 percentage points higher than a chicken breast, in addition to amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The process takes just 24 hours from raw material to protein powder, without genetic engineering and regardless of weather conditions, 365 days a year.

MicroHarvest has already proved that the process works. In November 2023, the company opened a pilot plant extending over around 200 square meters in Lisbon. The facility initially produced 25 kilograms of single-cell protein per day and thus provided tangible evidence of the scalability of the process. The results are used as a basis for the design of the large-scale plant. The facility in Leuna will be the first production plant for high-grade protein in Europe. 

Precise Planning of a Complex Industrial New Build 

A study carried out by Drees & Sommer confirms the technical and economic feasibility of the project. The team of experts analyzed and assessed the framework conditions of the construction project in Leuna, from regulatory requirements to potential risks. On this basis the project team evaluated the cost efficiency and optimization potential of different planning scenarios. 

With production start scheduled for the first half of 2028, the timeline is tight for the scope involved. Manuel Paulick, who heads the project at Drees & Sommer commented: “Our plans include areas for raw material reception, storage and preparation, alongside a plant for drying, filling and packing the protein, and for systems supporting the fermentation process. Offices, laboratories, technical building equipment and outdoor facilities round out the design.” The project team is initially designing the plant to meet the requirements of GMP+ Feed Certification with regard to production standards for feedstuffs; later it is to be extended to meet food safety standards. 

Drees & Sommer is working with MicroHarvest and other specialist companies to develop the manufacturing process for this first-of-its-kind plant. Manuel Paulick and his team are setting up the first two planning phases: the preliminary design and the design planning for the building and parts of the future fermentation process. Multiple decisions are to be taken simultaneously in this highly dynamic process. The alignment of all planning activities is a complex task. Steffen Butz, lead process engineer at Drees & Sommer said: “We are coordinating numerous specialist disciplines, suppliers, client decisions and approvals precisely from the outset, while keeping an eye on cost.” To ensure the process runs smoothly, the company is providing the majority of the planning, consulting and steering tasks in a one-stop shop. 

From Animal Feed to an Ingredient for Human Consumption

MicroHarvest plans initially to market its protein for use in animal feed, in particular pet food and aquaculture. First products are already available. The company has collaborated with the German supplier Vegdog and the British pet food manufacturer The Pack to produce dog treats based on its fermented protein. As soon as the protein has been approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through its novel food application procedure, the protein should also be available on the food product market for human consumption – for instance, as an ingredient in meatballs or protein bars.

Leuna (German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt), July 15, 2026. Whether for the plate or the trough, Europe is not producing enough protein to feed people and animals. European countries are dependent on imports to meet the majority of their protein needs – first of all from soyabeans, only eight percent of which is grown in the EUⁱ. MicroHarvest, a Hamburg-based biotech scale-up company, is addressing the deficit with a production plant in Leuna Chemical Park, which is the first facility in Europe to produce high-grade protein on an industrial scale. The plan is to produce 15,000 metric tons of protein per year, by biomass fermentation from regional agricultural side streams, on a gross floor area of around 5,800 square meters. With a mid-double-digit million-euro investment, MicroHarvest will create about 25 new jobs in Leuna. In the planning phase, Drees & Sommer SE’s expert teams are supporting MicroHarvest with project management and general planning. The company specializes in providing advisory services relating to construction, real estate and infrastructure. Production is scheduled to start in the first half of 2028. 

The market for alternative protein is among the most dynamic markets of the future. According to a study of Boston Consulting Group and Blue Horizon, the global alternative-protein market is projected to reach a volume of at least 97 million tons by 2035ⁱⁱ. “When you depend on Argentina, Brazil or the United States for the supply of protein, you have little room for maneuver when ports are blockaded, harvests fail, or export duties are imposed. Our project in Leuna offers us the chance to become independent and resilient. We have to grasp this opportunity now,” said Jonathan Roberz, co-founder and chief operating officer of MicroHarvest. 

24 Hours from Raw Material to Protein

The scale-up company produces protein through fermentation by microorganisms that have produced food reliably for thousands of years – creating, for instance, yoghurt from milk, sauerkraut from cabbage, and kimchi from vegetables. These microorganisms are fed with agricultural side streams such as molasses, a by-product of sugar production – large quantities of which are generated in the agricultural region around Leuna. 

The fermentation takes place in closed stainless steel tanks, where microorganisms consume the molasses and build proteins from it. Jonathan Roberz explained: “Our process is similar to that of a brewery, but it is significantly faster and instead of alcohol it produces high-grade protein in powder form.” The dried biomass has a raw protein content of over 60 percent, 20 percentage points higher than a chicken breast, in addition to amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The process takes just 24 hours from raw material to protein powder, without genetic engineering and regardless of weather conditions, 365 days a year.

MicroHarvest has already proved that the process works. In November 2023, the company opened a pilot plant extending over around 200 square meters in Lisbon. The facility initially produced 25 kilograms of single-cell protein per day and thus provided tangible evidence of the scalability of the process. The results are used as a basis for the design of the large-scale plant. The facility in Leuna will be the first production plant for high-grade protein in Europe. 

Precise Planning of a Complex Industrial New Build 

A study carried out by Drees & Sommer confirms the technical and economic feasibility of the project. The team of experts analyzed and assessed the framework conditions of the construction project in Leuna, from regulatory requirements to potential risks. On this basis the project team evaluated the cost efficiency and optimization potential of different planning scenarios. 

With production start scheduled for the first half of 2028, the timeline is tight for the scope involved. Manuel Paulick, who heads the project at Drees & Sommer commented: “Our plans include areas for raw material reception, storage and preparation, alongside a plant for drying, filling and packing the protein, and for systems supporting the fermentation process. Offices, laboratories, technical building equipment and outdoor facilities round out the design.” The project team is initially designing the plant to meet the requirements of GMP+ Feed Certification with regard to production standards for feedstuffs; later it is to be extended to meet food safety standards. 

Drees & Sommer is working with MicroHarvest and other specialist companies to develop the manufacturing process for this first-of-its-kind plant. Manuel Paulick and his team are setting up the first two planning phases: the preliminary design and the design planning for the building and parts of the future fermentation process. Multiple decisions are to be taken simultaneously in this highly dynamic process. The alignment of all planning activities is a complex task. Steffen Butz, lead process engineer at Drees & Sommer said: “We are coordinating numerous specialist disciplines, suppliers, client decisions and approvals precisely from the outset, while keeping an eye on cost.” To ensure the process runs smoothly, the company is providing the majority of the planning, consulting and steering tasks in a one-stop shop. 

From Animal Feed to an Ingredient for Human Consumption

MicroHarvest plans initially to market its protein for use in animal feed, in particular pet food and aquaculture. First products are already available. The company has collaborated with the German supplier Vegdog and the British pet food manufacturer The Pack to produce dog treats based on its fermented protein. As soon as the protein has been approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through its novel food application procedure, the protein should also be available on the food product market for human consumption – for instance, as an ingredient in meatballs or protein bars.

Leuna (German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt), July 15, 2026. Whether for the plate or the trough, Europe is not producing enough protein to feed people and animals. European countries are dependent on imports to meet the majority of their protein needs – first of all from soyabeans, only eight percent of which is grown in the EUⁱ. MicroHarvest, a Hamburg-based biotech scale-up company, is addressing the deficit with a production plant in Leuna Chemical Park, which is the first facility in Europe to produce high-grade protein on an industrial scale. The plan is to produce 15,000 metric tons of protein per year, by biomass fermentation from regional agricultural side streams, on a gross floor area of around 5,800 square meters. With a mid-double-digit million-euro investment, MicroHarvest will create about 25 new jobs in Leuna. In the planning phase, Drees & Sommer SE’s expert teams are supporting MicroHarvest with project management and general planning. The company specializes in providing advisory services relating to construction, real estate and infrastructure. Production is scheduled to start in the first half of 2028. 

The market for alternative protein is among the most dynamic markets of the future. According to a study of Boston Consulting Group and Blue Horizon, the global alternative-protein market is projected to reach a volume of at least 97 million tons by 2035ⁱⁱ. “When you depend on Argentina, Brazil or the United States for the supply of protein, you have little room for maneuver when ports are blockaded, harvests fail, or export duties are imposed. Our project in Leuna offers us the chance to become independent and resilient. We have to grasp this opportunity now,” said Jonathan Roberz, co-founder and chief operating officer of MicroHarvest. 

24 Hours from Raw Material to Protein

The scale-up company produces protein through fermentation by microorganisms that have produced food reliably for thousands of years – creating, for instance, yoghurt from milk, sauerkraut from cabbage, and kimchi from vegetables. These microorganisms are fed with agricultural side streams such as molasses, a by-product of sugar production – large quantities of which are generated in the agricultural region around Leuna. 

The fermentation takes place in closed stainless steel tanks, where microorganisms consume the molasses and build proteins from it. Jonathan Roberz explained: “Our process is similar to that of a brewery, but it is significantly faster and instead of alcohol it produces high-grade protein in powder form.” The dried biomass has a raw protein content of over 60 percent, 20 percentage points higher than a chicken breast, in addition to amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The process takes just 24 hours from raw material to protein powder, without genetic engineering and regardless of weather conditions, 365 days a year.

MicroHarvest has already proved that the process works. In November 2023, the company opened a pilot plant extending over around 200 square meters in Lisbon. The facility initially produced 25 kilograms of single-cell protein per day and thus provided tangible evidence of the scalability of the process. The results are used as a basis for the design of the large-scale plant. The facility in Leuna will be the first production plant for high-grade protein in Europe. 

Precise Planning of a Complex Industrial New Build 

A study carried out by Drees & Sommer confirms the technical and economic feasibility of the project. The team of experts analyzed and assessed the framework conditions of the construction project in Leuna, from regulatory requirements to potential risks. On this basis the project team evaluated the cost efficiency and optimization potential of different planning scenarios. 

With production start scheduled for the first half of 2028, the timeline is tight for the scope involved. Manuel Paulick, who heads the project at Drees & Sommer commented: “Our plans include areas for raw material reception, storage and preparation, alongside a plant for drying, filling and packing the protein, and for systems supporting the fermentation process. Offices, laboratories, technical building equipment and outdoor facilities round out the design.” The project team is initially designing the plant to meet the requirements of GMP+ Feed Certification with regard to production standards for feedstuffs; later it is to be extended to meet food safety standards. 

Drees & Sommer is working with MicroHarvest and other specialist companies to develop the manufacturing process for this first-of-its-kind plant. Manuel Paulick and his team are setting up the first two planning phases: the preliminary design and the design planning for the building and parts of the future fermentation process. Multiple decisions are to be taken simultaneously in this highly dynamic process. The alignment of all planning activities is a complex task. Steffen Butz, lead process engineer at Drees & Sommer said: “We are coordinating numerous specialist disciplines, suppliers, client decisions and approvals precisely from the outset, while keeping an eye on cost.” To ensure the process runs smoothly, the company is providing the majority of the planning, consulting and steering tasks in a one-stop shop. 

From Animal Feed to an Ingredient for Human Consumption

MicroHarvest plans initially to market its protein for use in animal feed, in particular pet food and aquaculture. First products are already available. The company has collaborated with the German supplier Vegdog and the British pet food manufacturer The Pack to produce dog treats based on its fermented protein. As soon as the protein has been approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through its novel food application procedure, the protein should also be available on the food product market for human consumption – for instance, as an ingredient in meatballs or protein bars.