Lantmännen introduces NordPea with Ingredion as Swedish protein plant nears completion

Lantmännen has introduced NordPea, a pea protein isolate developed through its collaboration with Ingredion, ahead of commercial production at a new €100 million (US$112 million) facility in Lidköping, Sweden.

• NordPea is due to become commercially available in Q2 2027.
• The Swedish facility will process peas and fava beans.
• Target applications include beverages, nutritional products and dairy alternatives.

The ingredient will be presented at Fi Europe in Frankfurt on November 17-19. Lantmännen’s product information says NordPea remains in final testing, with commercial availability expected in the second quarter of 2027.

The launch gives a product name and application focus to the companies’ long-term partnership, announced in November 2024. That agreement combined Lantmännen’s agricultural sourcing and manufacturing capabilities with Ingredion’s expertise in ingredient development, processing and market access.

NordPea will be manufactured from Swedish-grown peas supplied through Lantmännen’s farmer-owned cooperative. The Lidköping facility is designed to process approximately 40,000 metric tons of peas and fava beans annually.

That figure represents raw material processing capacity across the facility, rather than annual production of NordPea protein isolate.

Fredrik Krook, Managing Director Biorefineries at Lantmännen, said the ingredient would help meet European manufacturers’ demand for pea protein.

“NordPea will help to satisfy this growing demand with a high-quality ingredient produced in a sustainable manner,” he said.

The initial isolate is expected to contain 85% protein, according to company-provided information published ahead of the exhibition. Target applications include ready-to-drink beverages, ready-to-mix products, nutritional foods and dairy alternatives.

Lantmännen said development had focused on a clean, neutral taste, alongside solubility, dispersibility, light color and viscosity suited to an appealing mouthfeel. Its product page notes that testing remains ongoing and performance data are preliminary.

Those characteristics address practical formulation requirements. Proteins must disperse effectively during processing, while flavor and texture affect how much can be incorporated without compromising the finished product.

In company-provided material, Lantmännen said the neutral flavor target was intended to reduce unwanted notes and the need for additional formulation adjustments. The production setup has also been designed to support consistent performance during manufacturing and shelf life.

The companies’ original collaboration covered sales, product innovation and process improvements, initially addressing European demand for pea protein isolates made from yellow peas.

“By joining forces with Lantmännen, we are expanding our footprint in the European market,” Mike O’Riordan, then identified as Ingredion’s Senior Vice President of Texture and Healthful Solutions in EMEA, said when the partnership was announced in 2024.

The NordPea introduction follows several years of investment in the Lidköping project. In April 2025, the European Investment Bank announced a €50 million (US$56 million) loan to co-finance construction, covering approximately half the project’s investment cost.

At that time, the bank said completion was expected in the first half of 2027 and that the facility would create around 30 regional jobs. Its financing announcement linked the project to European objectives for food security, agricultural development and reduced reliance on imported proteins.

Lantmännen’s latest commercial availability guidance places NordPea’s arrival within that earlier completion window.

The ingredient’s supply chain extends from crop development to processing. Lantmännen said the yellow peas used for NordPea come through its own breeding program, allowing work on crop quality, yield and sustainability to feed into ingredient production.

The company also highlighted the role of peas in crop rotations through nitrogen fixation, alongside regional sourcing and traceability.

At the factory, planned resource-efficiency measures include heat recovery, purification and recirculation of process water, and use of the pea’s different components. Side streams will be refined into other products rather than treating protein as the only usable output.

The project has received support through Klimatklivet, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s climate investment program.

Lantmännen, owned by 17,000 Swedish farmers, is presenting NordPea alongside its existing food ingredient activities. The cooperative’s portfolio already includes wheat- and oat-based ingredients, including oat protein and oat beta-glucan.

At Fi Europe, NordPea will feature on Lantmännen’s stand 30J62 and in the New Product Zone. Lantmännen and Ingredion will also deliver a joint pea protein presentation in the Exhibitor Showcase Theatre on November 17 at 11:30am.

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