Pilot: Plant Protein Forward

Relevant for: Dutch farmers, food service, retailers, food process industry, investors

What is it all about?

In 2024, Foodvalley, together with Rabobank and Provinciaal Eiwitoverleg NL, initiated the pilot Plant Protein Forward (PPF). The goal is to scale and professionalise crop-specific value chain initiatives to ensure higher sales and human consumption of Dutch grown plant-based proteins.

Increasing the local availability, processing and consumption of plant-based proteins not only contributes to our protein self-sufficiency, but it also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, increased biodiversity, and new business opportunities for farmers and other value chain actors in the plant-based industry.

Since 2025, Plant Protein Forward has been co-funded by the European Union, enabling us to create greater impact, expand our activities, and accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable food system.

Our methodology

Foodvalley has developed a methodology to bring actors across the value chain, from farm to fork, closer together to foster innovation, enhance collaboration and accelerate the transition towards more sustainable food systems. This methodology is also known as the EAT Principle: Entrepreneuring Apart Together. Within PPF, Foodvalley puts this principle into practice to ensure higher sales and consumption of Dutch grown plant-based proteins.

Entrepreneuring

Entrepreneurship is at the heart of PPF. Entrepreneurship by farmers, processors and other value chain actors enables and drives important innovation and collaboration needed to scale the sales and consumption of Dutch grown plant-based proteins.

Apart

Every crop-specific value chain initiative faces unique (and sometimes similar) challenges. Therefore, in PPF every value chain initiative is supported individually, amongst others through a dedicated value chain supporter, based on sales-related questions.

Together

Experiences and lessons learned are shared between and beyond participating value chain initiatives. Furthermore, workshops are organised for participating initiatives, focusing on relevant trends and on collective barriers and opportunities. In tge long-term, PPF will have developed a programmatic approach on increasing the sales and consumption of Dutch grown plant-based proteins, to be shared broadly across relevant stakeholders.

Want to learn more about the current value chain initiatives? Find out below.

Did you know Plant Protein Forward emerged from the Green Deal Rich Crops, also known as the Bean Deal? Explore the Bean Deal here.

Value chain initiatives

Below are descriptions of the crop chains and the associated support requests, along with the stakeholders involved. The lupin, faba bean, and dry soybean chains have been completed within the project. The quinoa chain has just started, while the edamame chain is still ongoing.

Edamame

Focus question: Realising long-term purchase of conventional frozen edamame from a large Dutch retailer/food service actor (B2C).
Period: apr 24 – nov 24
Involved value chain actors: Dutch Edamame, Green Organics, Jumbo supermarket, Hutten Catering
Value chain supporter: Wouter Staal
Achievements: Tenfold increase in Edamame cultivation; now over 120 hectares and 10 new growers, frozen Edamame available at Jumbo supermarkets and more to come.

Lupin

Focus question: Realising long-term B2B sales growth of (applications of) milled Dutch lupin beans, organic and conventional.
Period: sep 24 – feb 25
Involved value chain actors: Lekker Lupine, LuPeel, more to be communicated
Value chain supporter: Drees Peter van den Bosch
Achievements: Foreign lupin in Leev‘s crackers is being replaced with Dutch-grown lupin, Van der Westen Organic Family Bakery is also switching to Dutch lupin, including stroopwafels sold at Ekoplaza. Both Leev & Van der Westen are looking to expand this to other products.

Faba bean

Focus question: Finding a strategic partner for the (minimal) processing of Dutch faba beans to increase the sales of Dutch faba bean flour and remaining fractions
Period: oct 24 – mar 25
Involved value chain actors: Eiwitboeren van Nederland, more to be communicated
Value chain supporter: Michael Luesink
Updates: to be communicated

Soy

Focus question: Realising an agreement with Dutch food providers for the long-term purchase and promotion of plant-based dairy based on Dutch-grown soy.
Period: nov 24 – apr 25
Involved value chain actors: De Nieuwe Melkboer, more to be communicated
Value chain supporter: Wouter Staal
Achievements: Plant-based yoghurt variations made from soy available at Jumbo supermarkets, smooties with plant-based yoghurt at La Place restaurants and more to come.

Quinoa

Focus question: Establishing long-term purchasing agreements with Dutch food providers: retail and food service, for locally grown quinoa seeds.
Period: sep 25 – apr 26
Involved value chain actors: GreenFood50
Value chain supporter: Rocus Troost
Updates: to be communicated