Benson Hill is planning a $28 million soy extrusion expansion at its plant in Creston, Iowa, which was part of its acquisition of ZFS Creston, LLC in January 2022.
According to reports, the facility will include a 15,000-square-foot building expansion and buying equipment to create an extrusion facility to foster product innovation and increase manufacturing scale.
The resulting high-protein soy ingredients will be marketed to industry-leading consumer packaged goods companies.
Exploding demand for soy-based protein ingredients
When Benson Hill acquired ZFS Creston earlier this year, the company said the exploding demand for soy-based protein ingredients is outpacing supply, suggesting the need to build additional concentrate and isolate processing facilities.
The Creston operation is equipped to produce soy meal and oil, as well as food-grade soy white flake, flour, and grits, which can be marketed as ingredients or used as raw material for further production of concentrates, isolates and textured protein products.
Benson Hill has developed ultra-high protein soybeans that contain 20% more protein than typical U.S. soybeans. The company says its soy ingredients cut water use by 70% and result in 50% fewer carbon dioxide emissions, by streamlining the steps required for traditional soy processing.
