Nutreco unveils new operational function to drive innovation

Nutreco has created a brand-new exploration unit to super-charge the supply of proprietary ultra-speciality ingredients and support its purpose of ‘Feeding the Future’. Known as Nutreco Exploration (or NutEx), the new team utilizes a discovery-driven agenda to unearth novel opportunities, bring them to proof-of-concept and feed Nutreco’s new product pipeline.

NutEx continuously collaborates with Skretting and Trouw Nutrition – Nutreco’s aquaculture and livestock feed businesses - and with Selko, its Global Feed Additive brand, which aspires to be a world leader in the creation and supply of ultra-speciality products. Additionally, NutEx closely works with the organization’s specialist investment arm NuFrontiers, as well as with both existing and new external partners to deepen Nutreco’s expertise in key areas, such as alternative proteins and novel ingredients. NutEx is also exploring the unearthed potential of phytotechnology – a space which is crowded yet highly underdeveloped – and bringing forward new biotechnology patents.

“We’re really excited about the potentially transformative contribution that we anticipate NutEx will make to our purpose of Feeding the Future,” commented Fulco van Lede, Nutreco CEO. “This new part of our business will unlock genuinely original innovation. It will also enhance our current portfolio of animal feed products and drive the next generation of our feed additives, reinforcing Nutreco’s position as an industry leader.”

The NutEx team is made up of highly regarded and dedicated specialists with a range of complementary skills. It is led by veteran feed industry innovator, Dr David Bravo, formerly Chief Innovation Officer at Pancosma and Director of Innovation and Technology Scouting at Land O’Lakes.  The other members of the team are Dr Yanming Han, Dr Emma Wall, Lucia Luijben, André van Deelen and Roelie Kingma.

“Our ambition is for NutEx to become a centre of excellence for innovation linked directly to and adding commercial value to the business,” added Bravo, Nutreco’s Chief Science Officer. “We will achieve this through our relentless and purposeful pursuit of new thinking and new technology to respond to the needs of the market. Using a discovery-driven agenda combined with business intimacy, with continuous learning at our core, our focus is defined by the needs of the market. Only commercially viable, relevant and targeted solutions will be brought to life.”

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