What Vestkorn Milling does

Vestkorn Milling AS is a Norwegian producer of plant-based ingredients derived from peas and faba beans, headquartered in Tau, Norway, where it has operated since 1855. The company manufactures textured proteins, protein concentrates, starches, fibres (including the trademarked Fibradan® pea fibre), and flours using dry mechanical processing — air classification and extrusion — without chemical inputs. Its products are sold as B2B ingredients to three primary customer segments: food manufacturers (plant-based meat alternatives, bakery, gluten-free applications), pet food producers, and animal feed manufacturers. Distribution reaches approximately 50 countries, supported by a dedicated sales office in Holstebro, Denmark, for European logistics.

The company's core technology is a proprietary dry mechanical processing platform that separates peas and faba beans into protein, starch, and fibre fractions without chemical solvents, preserving nutritional value and enabling clean-label positioning. On-site renewable electricity is generated via a Francis water-turbine producing over 1,000 kWh. Product differentiation is reinforced by a comprehensive certification stack: FSSC 22000, GMP+ B1, Debio Organic, EU Organic, Kosher, Halal, and FDA facility registration. Notable proprietary products include Textured Pea Protein P6501L (launched 2022, designed to mimic meat's fibrous structure), P6511C (2021, next-generation textured pea protein), Textured Faba Protein (2019, positioned as an alternative to textured soy), and Fibradan® (>85% dietary fibre from pea hull).

Since 2021, Vestkorn has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of DSM-firmenich, integrated into the parent's Taste, Texture & Health division. The company employs more than 70 people at its Tau facility, representing 12–15 nationalities. Revenue is generated through direct B2B enterprise sales led by technical sales managers; products ship in bulk via vessels, containers, and trucks. No public pricing is disclosed, and customer engagement is personalized rather than transactional. The business model is a straightforward B2B ingredient sales model — selling finished goods in bulk to industrial manufacturers — with no subscription, licensing, or platform revenue component identified.

Name

Vestkorn Milling

Legal name

Vestkorn Milling AS

Website

https://vestkorn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vestkorn Milling is a Norwegian producer of pea- and faba-bean-based protein, starch, and fibre ingredients for food, pet food, and animal feed manufacturers worldwide, using dry mechanical processing. It operates since 1855 and is wholly owned by DSM-firmenich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tau

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. B2B Ingredient Sales: Vestkorn generates revenue by selling pea and faba bean ingredients (proteins, starches, fibres, textured proteins, flours) to food, pet food, and animal feed manufacturers worldwide. Products are sold in bulk quantities to industrial customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vestkorn Milling is the leading European producer of plant-based ingredients derived from peas and faba beans, supplying textured proteins, protein concentrates, starches, dietary fibers, and flours to industrial food, pet food, and animal feed manufacturers. Production is based on dry mechanical processing (air classification and extrusion) without chemical compounds at the company's facilities in Tau, Norway.

Product overview

Vestkorn Milling is the leading European producer of ingredients from peas and beans, operating as a division of dsm-firmenich. The company offers a diversified portfolio of plant-based ingredient products organized into four main categories: Textured Proteins (including Textured Pea Proteins P6501L and P6511C, and Textured Faba Protein), Protein Concentrates (Pea Protein and Faba Protein for food, petfood, and feed applications), Starch Products (Pea Starch and Faba Starch concentrates including ColdGel PS70), and Fibre Products (Fibradan and Pea Fibres). The product line spans applications across food (bakery, meat alternatives, extruded snacks), petfood (wet, dry, pressed, raw formats), and animal feed (fish, pig, poultry, ruminant). All products are 100% natural, non-GMO, and available in organic versions where noted. The company uses dry mechanical processing without chemical compounds and serves customers in approximately 50 countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fibradan®: Pea hull fiber concentrate with over 85% dietary fiber content, used in food applications including baked products, biscuits, crackers, breakfast cereals, and meat products.

Products and services

• Textured Pea Protein P6501L Premium textured pea protein that mimics the fibrous structure of meat with a juicy bite and less intense pea taste, suitable for processed and unprocessed meat alternatives.
• Textured Pea Protein P6511C Next-generation textured pea protein with improved texture for burger applications, available in chunks and minced forms suitable as meat analogues or extenders.
• Textured Faba Protein Natural and sustainable textured faba protein based on native faba protein, alternative to textured soy protein, removing allergenic and GMO concerns; available in organic version.
• Pea Protein – Food Natural native pea protein containing 55% protein with excellent amino acid profile, alternative to soy protein with higher lysine and glutamine levels; contains soluble and insoluble fibre.
• Faba Protein – Food Natural native faba protein with 65% protein content, excellent amino acid profile similar to pea protein, addressing allergenic and sustainability issues compared to soy.
• Pea Protein – Petfood Pea protein for pet food providing protein fortification, low-calorie formulation, allergen-free, gluten-free and lactose-free ingredient solutions.
• Faba Protein – Petfood Faba protein with 65% protein (dry matter) for pet food formulations, rich in lysine, neutral in flavour, aroma and colour.
• Pea Protein – Feed Pea protein for animal feed providing protein fortification, non-GMO solution with high-quality amino acid profile for fish, pig, poultry and ruminant applications.
• Pea Starch Concentrate – Food Native starch made from dry milling of peas, providing low-calorie formulation and allergen-, gluten- and lactose-free solutions; expands when extruded.
• Faba Starch Concentrate – Food Faba flour with starch concentrate containing up to 65% starch and 20% protein, functioning as binder and viscosity enhancer for lower glycemic index foods.
• Pea Starch – Petfood Pea starch from dry milling of peas for pet food, gluten-free with excellent heat stability and binding properties; contains 13% high-quality protein.
• Faba Starch – Petfood Faba starch from dry milling and classification of faba beans, neutral in flavour, aroma and colour, effective binder containing 19% protein.
• Pea Starch – Feed Pea starch from dry milling of peas for animal feed, effective binder that allows free space in formulations; provides nutritional and technical benefits.
• ColdGel PS70 – Petfood Mechanically modified pea starch flour with cold swelling properties, absorbing approximately four times its weight in water; ideal for cold and steam pressed pet food.
• Fibradan® – Food Pea hull fiber product with >85% dietary fibres content, all natural and gluten-free, with high water-binding capacity and fat absorption for baked products.
• Fibradan® – Petfood Pea hull fiber for pet food with >85% dietary fibre content, insoluble and medium fermentable, used in dry, wet, pressed and raw pet food applications.
• Pea Fibre – Petfood Pea fiber from hull of cleaned yellow peas with heat treatment, containing around 75% insoluble dietary fibers; available in pellet form.
• Pea Fibre – Feed Pea fiber from hull of dry yellow peas with no additives, around 75% insoluble and moderately fermentable dietary fibres.
• Pea Flour Pea flour with 23% protein and 54% carbohydrates, gluten-free alternative to wheat flour for pasta, cookies, bread, cakes and culinary applications.
• Faba Bean Flour Faba bean flour with 30% protein and 48% carbohydrates, alternative to wheat flour with excellent amino acid profile for gluten-free applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon footprint 80-90% lower than dairy proteins per kg protein for faba protein
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Diversified agricultural commodities giant that entered pea protein through the PURIS acquisition and offers plant-based protein ingredients, starches, and texturants. Comparable to Vestkorn in product overlap but operates at vastly greater scale and serves a broader ingredient portfolio.
• Ingredion: Specialty ingredient company producing plant-based proteins, starches, and texturants, including pea protein offerings under its VITESSENCE and PURITY PEA brands. Comparable to Vestkorn in selling textured and native plant proteins to food and pet food manufacturers, with a broader ingredient mix.
• ADM: Global nutrition and agricultural company with a significant plant-protein business (including soy and pea-based ingredients) and adjacent starch/texturant offerings. Overlaps with Vestkorn in food and feed protein ingredients but competes from a far broader portfolio and balance sheet.

Direct peers

• Cosucra: Belgian producer of pea protein (Pisane), pea fiber, and inulin from chicory roots. Closely comparable to Vestkorn as a European specialty ingredient supplier focused on dry-processed pea ingredients into food and nutrition applications.
• Roquette: French global leader in starch and polyol ingredients and the world's largest pea protein producer via its NUTRALYS platform. Most direct comparable to Vestkorn because it sells textured and native pea proteins, starches, and fibers into the same food, nutrition, and pet food channels in Europe and globally.
• Axiom Foods: US-based supplier of plant-based proteins including pea, rice, and vegan functional blends for food and beverage applications. Comparable to Vestkorn in producing textured and native pea proteins, but primarily serves North American customers rather than Europe.
• PURIS Foods: North American producer of non-GMO pea protein ingredients (now majority-owned by Cargill). Comparable to Vestkorn in producing clean-label pea proteins and starches for food and beverage applications, though geographically concentrated in North America.
• Emsland Group: German manufacturer of starch, protein, and fiber ingredients from potatoes and peas, supplying food, pet food, and feed industries. Comparable to Vestkorn in process technology (mechanical/air classification), end-market mix (food/pet food/feed), and European footprint.

Emerging players

• Shandong Jianyuan Bio-Engineering: Chinese producer of pea protein concentrate, isolate, and starch serving global food and nutrition markets. Comparable to Vestkorn's pea protein and starch ingredient portfolio, primarily competing on price and scale rather than European specialty positioning.
• Merit Functional Foods: Canadian producer of pea and canola protein ingredients with a focus on non-GMO, plant-based applications. Comparable to Vestkorn's specialty protein ingredient focus but smaller scale and primarily serving North American customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vestkorn-as

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vestkorn Milling