12 GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO identified protecting and growing markets as one of the key strategic goals in their 2021 Strategic Plan. One of the ways to achieve that goal is to advocate for and invest in growing diversified domestic markets through the development of valueadded processing and new end uses of Ontario-grown grains and oilseeds. The Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Grains Innovation Fund invested in a domestic project in 2021 that will create new opportunities for domestic soybean processing, supporting local growers and Ontario’s economy. NEW TECHNOLOGY, NEW OPPORTUNITIES In July 2022, New Protein International (NPI), Huron Commodities, and Hensall Co-operative’s Animal Nutrition Division announced a joint venture that will combine their expertise to optimize a propriety cleanProcessing capacity growth INVESTING IN NEW OPPORTUNITIES Ontario Grain Farmer label soy protein processing method. NPI will build and operate a demonstration-scale facility to test, refine, and optimize its proprietary hexane-free processing method, BioPur. Located in Sarnia, Ontario, the facility is uniquely situated between Toronto and Detroit, two North American food processing hubs, and in an agricultural area well-known for growing high-quality and abundant soybean crops. BioPur incorporates CO2 extraction and bio-based solvents in place of hexane. With investments from partners including Proteins Industries Canada and the Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Grains Innovation Fund, the $11.2 million project will help meet the growing demand for non-GMO, sustainable plantbased foods and ingredients. The NPI plant will be the first-of-its-kind processing facility in Canada to manufacture soy protein isolates, soy protein powders, textured soy proteins, and soy powders — ingredients used in consumer products such as baby formula, athletic supplements, and plantbased food products. “This exciting project… is an important step toward bringing sustainable soy protein production to Canada,” says NPI chief operating officer Mark Hamelin. Huron Commodities, a global provider of custom-sourced grain and seeds projects such as IP soybeans and non-GMO crops located in Clinton, Ontario, will provide soybean varieties for testing, while the Hensall Co-operative’s Animal Nutrition division, based in Hensall, Ontario, will test and provide feedback on the ingredients’ by-products. Beyond the pilot testing phase, NPI plans to build a full-scale commercial plant that Market Development
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4