Tetra Pak opens new food technology centre in Sweden to accelerate fermentation-derived product development
New facility in Karlshamn supports start-ups and established producers in scaling precision fermentation and biomass food innovations.
SWEDEN – Tetra Pak has officially launched its New Food Technology Development Centre in Karlshamn, Sweden, aimed at supporting the growth of food products derived from precision fermentation and biomass.
The facility is designed to assist both emerging and established food producers with technical processes and formulation expertise to accelerate market readiness and improve profitability.
The centre, which opened on 13 June, is open to businesses of all sizes and focuses on helping companies navigate the often complex path of scaling novel food products.
Tetra Pak offers tailored support whether companies are developing functional ingredients or final consumer products such as meat and fish alternatives.
At the official inauguration ceremony, Charles Brand, Tetra Pak’s Executive Vice President for Processing Solutions and Equipment, led guests through the facility.
Visitors were given the opportunity to taste samples of products already in development. Brand emphasized the importance of the new centre amid broader market challenges.
“At a time when others in the industry are scaling back, we are moving forward, and the Tetra Pak New Food Technology Development Centre represents our most significant commitment to fermentation-derived foods yet,” said Brand. “We understand that scaling New Food products is a step into the unknown.”
To help bridge the gap between lab innovation and commercial production, the centre offers two core programmes. The Process Evaluation programme supports businesses transitioning from lab-scale to demo-scale or those seeking process optimisation.
The Productivity Validation programme is designed for companies with existing production capabilities looking to validate and improve process performance.
The centre also enables close collaboration with Tetra Pak’s Product Development Centre in Lund. This partnership allows companies to refine food texture, flavour, and functionality, as well as test product formulations and build effective go-to-market strategies. The end goal is to reduce time-to-market while ensuring cost-effective production at scale.
Brand added, “Start-ups are struggling with translating production to food-scale, and we know how to do that, using our extensive food production experience and development centre network.”
The launch comes as investment in alternative protein and new food technologies faces increased financial scrutiny. Tetra Pak hopes the centre will help de-risk innovation by offering practical, scalable solutions for the next generation of food.
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