BioRefine Denmark A/S

What BioRefine Denmark A/S does

BioRefine Denmark A/S is a Danish biorefinery that operates a wet extraction process to produce organic green protein concentrate from locally grown clover grass and lucerne (alfalfa). Established in 2021 as a joint venture between three major Danish agricultural cooperatives — DLG (50%), Danish Agro (25%), and DLF (25%) — the company extracts a protein concentrate with a crude protein content exceeding 50% using a proprietary process involving pressing of the raw grass to separate green juice from green fiber, heating/coagulation of the juice, and decanter centrifuge separation of the resulting protein paste, which is dried to a coffee-ground consistency. BioRefine operates a single production facility north of Varde producing approximately 1,500 tons of organic green protein annually, sourced from roughly 1,000 hectares cultivated by around 30 organic farmers within approximately 30 km of the plant.

The product portfolio comprises four offerings: Grønt Protein (green protein), the primary organic output for monogastric animal feed replacing imported soy; Grønt Fiber, a dried byproduct (around 40% dry matter) directed mainly to biogas production with stated potential applications in packaging, paper, cardboard, and textiles; Brunsaft (brown juice), the liquid byproduct (around 5% dry matter) used for on-site cleaning, heating, biogas feedstock, and field fertilization; and a process plant technology solution, marketed as a complete project-engineered green protein extraction plant incorporating components from sub-suppliers SteCao Aps and Alfa Laval Nordic A/S. The Varde facility has been built to comply with food production standards in anticipation of future human food ingredient production.

BioRefine runs a B2B sales-led go-to-market, sourcing raw material from contracted organic farmers under a per-harvest payment model based on protein content, and distributing finished protein directly to animal feed companies serving Denmark's pig and poultry value chains. Green fiber and brown juice are sold directly to biogas plants and organic farms. Cooperative ownership — anchored by DLG with Vagn Hundebøll (DLG Vice Executive Director) serving as CEO — provides deep distribution reach and farmer-recruitment infrastructure, while Økologisk virksomhed organic certification and GMP+ B2 feed-safety certification underpin market access. The company has received a DKK 14 million grant from GUDP under Landbrugsstyrelsen for a project, "Fra grøn protein til køledisken," to expand into human food protein production.

Name

BioRefine Denmark A/S

Legal name

BioRefine Denmark A/S

Website

https://biorefine.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BioRefine Denmark A/S operates a Danish bioraffineri that extracts organic green protein (>50% crude protein) from clover grass and lucerne via wet extraction, selling primarily to animal feed companies and biogas plants as a domestic alternative to imported soy protein.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-based protein ingredients

NAICS

Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAJAHAL

Specialty & Novel Proteins (Single-Cell Protein, Cell-Cultured/Animal-Free Proteins)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Proteins & Protein Ingredients (Plant/Animal Proteins, Protein Isolates/Concentrates)

SECONDARYEUAAAIAH

Bio-based Fertilizers, Soil Amendments & Biostimulants (Digestate-derived, biochar-based inputs)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Bioenergy, Natural Gas & Biomass/Biorefining & Bio-based Chemicals (Co-products, Bioproducts)

Keywords

• Green protein extraction
• Organic animal feed
• Biorefinery processing
• Plant-based protein
• Grass protein production

Headquarters

HQ city

Janderup Vestj.

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Green Protein Sales: Sale of organic green protein to animal feed companies. The protein replaces imported soybean cake in feed for monogastric animals (pigs and poultry). Pricing is based on protein content per cutting, with payment made per harvest.
2. Green Fiber Sales: Green fiber, a byproduct of protein extraction, is sold primarily for biogas production. Future revenue streams are being explored for packaging, paper, cardboard, and biotech textiles.
3. Brown Juice / Brunsaft: Liquid byproduct sold to biogas plants or applied directly as fertilizer on nearby fields. Used for rinsing and heating the plant itself.
4. Process Plant Sales: Sale of complete project-designed processing plants for green protein extraction, offered as a total solution including technology components from SteCao Aps and Alfa Laval Nordic A/S.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BioRefine Denmark A/S operates a bioraffinery in Varde, Denmark, producing organic green protein concentrate (over 50% crude protein) from locally grown clover grass and lucerne for use in animal feed as a replacement for imported soy. The company sells the protein directly to feed companies and also markets the green fiber byproduct for biogas production and brown juice for fertilizer and biogas use, while offering its complete processing technology as a turnkey plant solution.

Product overview

BioRefine Denmark A/S operates a bioraffinery that produces organic green protein as its core product, extracted from locally grown clover grass and alfalfa across approximately 1,000 hectares. The product portfolio includes three offerings: Grønt Protein (the main product with over 50% crude protein for animal feed), Grønt Fiber (a dry byproduct used for biogas with future potential for packaging and textiles), and Brunsaft (a liquid byproduct used for cleaning, heating, and fertilizer). The company also offers a complete protein extraction technology solution for sale to other producers. The facility in Varde produces approximately 1,500 tons of organic protein annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grønt Protein (Green Protein) Organic green protein concentrate extracted from clover grass and lucerne with over 50% crude protein content, sold to animal feed companies as a replacement for imported soy protein in feed for monogastric animals including pigs, piglets, broiler chickens, and laying hens.
• Grønt Fiber (Green Fiber) Dry byproduct from green protein extraction with approximately 40% dry matter content, primarily sold to biogas plants because it delivers equal or higher gas yield per kg dry matter than regular grass with faster decomposition; future applications include packaging, paper, cardboard, insulation, and biotech textiles.
• Brunsaft (Brown Juice) Liquid byproduct from protein coagulation with approximately 5% dry matter, used internally for rinsing and heating the plant, sold to biogas plants as feedstock, and applied directly as organic fertilizer on nearby fields, with particular value for organic cattle farms during summer grazing periods.
• Teknologi (Green Protein Extraction Process Plant) Complete project-designed processing plant for green protein extraction offered as a total solution, covering raw material analysis and reception through to finished protein and fiber material handling for bioenergy and packaging industries, integrating process components from SteCao Aps and Alfa Laval Nordic A/S.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nitrate leaching reduced by 70-80% compared to traditional annual crop systems
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DLFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal seed company owning 25% of BioRefine Denmark A/S. DLF collaborated with Økologi Rådgivning Danmark to develop three organic grass seed mixtures (ProteinMax Hvid, ProteinMax Lucerne, ProteinMax Rød) specifically optimized for high protein yield and field durability for BioRefine's operations.
• Økologi Rådgivning DanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish organic farming advisory organization that co-developed the three organic grass seed mixtures (ProteinMax Hvid, ProteinMax Lucerne, ProteinMax Rød) with DLF, specifically designed for BioRefine's green protein extraction process based on high protein content, dense stands to prevent weeds, and multi-year durability.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DLG: Major Danish agricultural cooperative and 50% owner of BioRefine; one of Europe's largest agribusinesses with extensive grain, feed, and farm-supply operations. Provides distribution reach and could ultimately internalize competing protein capabilities.
• AB Agri: UK-headquartered animal nutrition and feed ingredients business with global reach. Potential large customer for green protein and broad incumbent that could develop or source competing novel proteins at scale.
• ForFarmers: Largest animal feed manufacturer in Europe, offering compound feed across livestock species. Both a potential large customer for BioRefine's protein and a broad incumbent whose portfolio competes for the same feed-company shelf space.
• Danish Agro: Major Danish agricultural cooperative and 25% owner of BioRefine, with broad crop input, feed, and machinery operations across Scandinavia. Acts as both supply-chain partner and broad incumbent in Danish agribusiness.

Emerging players

• Calysta: US-based producer of single-cell protein (FeedKind) from methane for aquafeed and animal feed. Competes for share of the novel-protein-in-feed market that BioRefine also targets with grass-derived protein.
• Ÿnsect: French insect protein producer for animal feed and pet food. Competes in the alternative-protein-for-feed category and is scaling globally with VC backing, putting BioRefine's grass-protein approach in direct competition for similar feed-industry contracts.
• Innovafeed: French producer of insect protein (black soldier fly larvae) for animal feed and aquafeed. Alternative-protein competitor seeking to displace soy protein in monogastric diets, addressing the same problem BioRefine targets via a different feedstock.

Regional players

• Vilofoss: Danish premix and specialty feed company within the DLG group producing vitamins, minerals, and young-animal feed. Regional player overlapping in protein-rich feed ingredients for the Danish market and a likely customer or sister-business channel.

Direct peers

• Hamlet Protein: Danish producer of specialty proteins for young animal nutrition (piglets, calves). Closest direct peer because it serves the same monogastric feed segment with a high-protein specialty ingredient targeting similar inclusion-rate economics.

Others

• DLF: Global seed company and 25% owner of BioRefine. Functionally an ecosystem partner and supplier of the customized protein-optimized seed mixtures that underpin BioRefine's raw material program, rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biorefine-denmark-a-s

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 BioRefine Denmark A/S