Kalsec

From its European headquarters in England, Kalsec saw an opportunity for a new hub to better serve its customers. In November 2023, they found their place in Wageningen - known for the knowledge-intensive Regio Foodvalley ecosystem. "Wageningen is 'the place to be', with the best university in the field of 'food'," says Maria Tzoumaki, director of discovery at Kalsec. "Innovation is at the heart of Kalsec, so the university and research centre made Wageningen an easy choice." 

Kalsec's Savory Product Innovation Centre of Excellence – SPICE Lab – is located in Plus Ultra II, a multi-tenant business building on the Wageningen Campus. Ultra II was developed by Kadans Science Partner and, with energy label A, is extremely sustainable."This fits perfectly with Kalsec, which has been committed to producing sustainable food ingredients and technological solutions since 1958," says Tzoumaki. "Being B Corp-certified since 2020 provides opportunities to capitalise on our strengths in sustainability, but also to focus on further areas for improvement." 

A place for business at the university 

Kalsec's management considers the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) unique in that it focuses not only on science, but also on business. "It is remarkable that they also collaborate with companies," says Tzoumaki. "In the United States, where Kalsec started, we are not familiar with educational institutions working together with companies. This particular way of working is very welcome and offers us additional opportunities." 

Open innovation 

"Kalsec is not only close to the beating heart, the culture at Wageningen Campus also appeals to us," says Tzoumaki. "The companies' open attitude and the way they work together towards common goals stand out. This place breathes innovation." 

David Johnson, director of R&D Innovation Europe at Kalsec, agrees. "There is a lot of interaction and great energy here. Our customers and colleagues love coming here because innovation and collaboration come naturally here." 

Access to talent 

The WUR provides Kalsec with access to young talent. "Kalsec can employ students as trainees. They not only help in the laboratory, but more importantly develop their research skills in industry," says Johnson. "Moreover, with the university's help, our network also continues to grow, and we are happy to use its neuroscience services for food sensory tests." 

High-tech research kitchen 

Kalsec is currently co-facilitating a research and development kitchen, expected to open later in 2024. "This high-tech kitchen will serve as a research and demonstration space for texture analysis, baking, drying and frying," says Johnson. "It will also help start-ups. Start-ups with limited resources can conduct research here and further develop their products and technology." 

The research space covers 100 square metres and consists of three kitchens. Kalsec also plans to use the space to introduce customers to new products and ingredients. 

Innovative players in the food sector  

Kalsec quickly found its niche on campus, with Wageningen University & Research as its 'good neighbour'. "The connection was made several years ago, through Joost Blankestijn," says Johnson. "Blankestijn is Programme Manager Sustainable Nutritious Foods and has contact with companies all over the world. Through him, we discovered that there are remarkably many innovative food players here." 

Affordable healthy food  

In December 2023, Kalsec and Francine Hellinga from Oost NL discussed how Oost NL can promote Kalsec's growth. "Oost NL and Kalsec share the ambition to make healthy food affordable and available to everyone. We see a solution in plant-based food," Tzoumaki said. "Our goal is to create alternatives to meat that taste as good as the best animal proteins in the world."  

Another project Kalsec is working on is natural colour preservation, through the micro-level encapsulation of colours. "Non-natural dyes already have these properties, but with natural dyes there is still room for improvement in terms of colour fastness," says Tzoumaki. "If we can take this to the next level, it will become much more attractive for food producers to work with natural ingredients." 

Healthy food  

In short, Kalsec has quickly found its place on the Wageningen Campus and is keen to work with more companies, institutions and other interested parties to take healthy food to the next level. 

Do you want to collaborate or get to know Kalsec? Please contact Maria Tzoumaki: mtzoumaki@kalsec.com.