Zur Mühlen Gruppe, a major supplier of meat products in Germany, has invested in Nosh, a Berlin-based ingredients firm.
Nosh uses fermentation to make non-GMO fungi to use as an ingredient in meat analogues and alternative-seafood products. The company says the ingredient can also be used in bakery, dairy, confectionery and pet food.
The amount of money Zur Mühlen Gruppe has put into Nosh has not been disclosed, nor the size of its stake.
Zur Mühlen Gruppe is part of the German meat giant Toennies. The group is home to meat brands including Böklunder and Eberswalder. It also markets vegetarian products under brands including Gutfried and Vevia 4 You.
“The investment in the Berlin start-up Nosh fits perfectly into our alternative protein strategy,” Zur Mühlen Gruppe MD Axel Knau said.
The companies have already started work on a new product using Nosh’s koji mushroom ingredient.
"Together with Nosh, we have already developed the first protein-rich meat analogue product: Koji Stripes,” Knau said. “These are strips that go in salads or can be fried in a pan and whose list of ingredients includes just one other ingredient, the koji mushroom, in addition to the spices and marinade.”
Set up in 2021, Bosh emphasises its product is “100% clean label”. It opened a pilot facility last year and large-scale production is scheduled to begin this year.
“As a small start-up, we will not be able to change the world alone. We need strong partners who can successfully and permanently place our product on the market. The Zur Mühlen Group, with its sales strength and decades of experience as a food manufacturer, is such a partner,” Nosh co-founder and CEO Tim Fronzek said.
