NYSE-listed nutrition giant ADM has entered into a Strategic Development Agreement with Air Protein, a pioneer in air-based nutritional protein that requires no agriculture or farmland. The two companies will collaborate on research and development to further advance new and novel proteins for nutrition.

The Strategic Development Agreement would combine ADM’s  broad nutrition, formulation and research expertise with Air Protein’s  unique landless agriculture platform to identify ways to scale cost-effective ingredients that enable meat substitutes to deliver on their cost, nutrition, flavour and texture targets. It also provides for the mutually exclusive rights for ADM and Air Protein to collaborate to build and operate the world’s first Air Protein commercial scale plant.

Addressing both food security and sustainability

“Food security and sustainability are two of the enduring trends driving the growth and evolution of protein demand, and ADM is at the forefront of expanding the entire protein ecosystem,” said Ian Pinner, ADM’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation. 

“We are proud to be a strategic investor in Air Protein, and with today’s agreement, we’re expanding our partnership to bring ADM’s industry-leading expertise in flavours and complete nutrition solutions to help expand the universe of applications in which Air Protein’s technology can be used,” he continued. “To sustainably feed a growing global population, we need a broad protein ecosystem, from animal to plant to other novel sources. ADM is proud to work with both start-ups and major consumer brands to leverage our full pantry of capabilities and expand opportunities that innovative technologies present.”

Air Protein’s landless agriculture platform

Founded in 2019, Air Protein is a pioneer in making air-based protein that requires no agriculture or farmland. Its first state-of-the-art Air Farm facility, located in San Leandro, California, will serve as a prototype protein farm of the future, demonstrating how protein and other ingredients can be created using air, water and energy as inputs. 

Air Protein makes protein ingredients that are rich in vitamins and minerals, flavour proteins, colour proteins, and functional proteins that can deliver on a range of texture applications. 

The dramatic difference between Air Protein’s landless agriculture platform and other ways of making protein is that others depend on land and/or an agricultural supply chain. Air Protein’s platform improves both the competitiveness and stability of production costs as it enables protein production without traditional supply chain risks, including climate impacts and geopolitical disruptions.

ADM’s strong support for “protein of the future”

Prior to entering the new Strategic Development Agreement, ADM has served as a strong supporter of Air Protein through investment of Series A and SAFE funding. With the backing of ADM alongside other investors such as the Ford Foundation, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, Plum Alley, and GV (formerly Google Ventures), Air Protein has raised US$107 million in cumulative capital. With the funding, Air Protein has accelerated the expansion of a world-class team of scientists, manufacturing and food experts, as well as the construction of its state-of-the-art Air Farm™ in California.

“Air Protein is excited to extend our relationship with ADM, which has been a strong supporter and collaborator in our mutual mission to provide innovative protein solutions that can sustainably feed the growing global population,” stated Air Protein Founder and CEO, Dr Lisa Dyson, who went on to remark that ADM’s continued commitment to building a more sustainable food system has helped Air Protein to significantly accelerate and scale its Bay Area ‘Air Farm’ alongside other growth initiatives. Dr Dyson also shared that Air Protein successfully concluded an important regulatory review confirming the company’s protein is GRAS, and noted that it “represents one more important milestone on our journey to provide consumers with the protein of the future”.