EUROPE | Crespel & Deiters has partnered with the Finnish foodtech company Happy Plant Protein, whose novel dry extrusion process has been used in industrial production for the first time.
The goal is to produce high-quality textured vegetable protein (TVP) from European-grown pulses, such as fava beans and peas. For the food industry, this marked another major step towards regionally sourced and functional plant-based proteins.
Family-owned Crespel & Deiters has been processing wheat since 1858 and saw itself as a refinement expert, turning a wide variety of plant-based raw materials into functional solutions.
The partnership with Happy Plant Protein was part of the company's refinement strategy, through which it will expand its raw material portfolio beyond wheat and deliver new refinement expertise.
Process steps: Two become one
The process patented by Happy Plant Protein is dry fractionation via extrusion, an alternative to conventional air classification.
In a single process step, the flour is separated into protein and starch fractions and simultaneously functionalised. What normally requires several stages therefore happens in one go: no protein isolates, chemicals or water-intensive processes are needed, and valuable raw material components are fully preserved.
The application is particularly well-suited to legumes such as fava beans, which are new to the Crespel & Deiters raw material portfolio. The texturates are neutral in taste and free of the bitter, beany off-notes often associated with legume proteins.
Their texture, hydration behaviour, and functionality can be tailored for meat alternatives, hybrid products, ready meals, and snacks - all categories that continue to see growing demand for proteins from European-grown crops.
Helmond: Extrusion Expertise Since 1998
Crespel & Deiters' site in Helmond, the Netherlands, offers ideal conditions for scaling up the new technology: specialised in food extrusion since 1998, the facility features modern production lines and a technical centre with a lab-scale extruder. This is where innovations emerge from pilot scale to full-scale production.
The partners are working with several pulses, including peas and fava beans, to refine them at an industrial scale.
For Happy Plant Protein, the cooperation marked the first commercial-scale implementation of its technology by an established European ingredient manufacturer.
Dry extrusion has already attracted considerable attention in the industry. At Food Ingredients Europe in Paris in December 2025, it was a finalist in the “Most Innovative FoodTech Solution” category. It again reached the finals at the Proteinnovation Summit in Austria in 2026. With the technology now being applied at an industrial scale, an important milestone has been reached.
More global news here
