with endori to the field - the pea is ready to be eaten
Tenfold increase in own cultivation area in the Rhineland
On a total of 500 hectares in the Rhineland, food manufacturer endori has cultivated its own peas for the production of plant-based meat and fish alternatives. The area under cultivation with the high-protein legume yields around 2,000 tonnes of regionally grown peas - on 12 July they were finally ripe for harvesting! With endori founder Friedrich Büse and other participants, they went to a pea field of farmer Frank Kemmerling from Vettweiß as part of a harvest event. This harvest gleaning offered an exciting look behind the scenes of the booming plant-based alternative products as well as the opportunity to gain an impression of regional agriculture.
With the pea cultivation on 500 hectares, the amount of peas grown on the farm has increased tenfold compared to the pilot cultivation in the previous year. At the edge of the harvest fields, the four stakeholders of the cultivation project came together for a harvest analysis: endori founder Friedrich Büse, pea grower Frank Kemmerling, Peter-Josef Gormanns, managing director of the Buir-Bliesheimer Agrargenossenschaft, and Frank Schmitz, head of agricultural value chain at Pfeifer & Langen.
endori founder Büse is satisfied with the tenfold increase in the amount of peas harvested regionally compared to the pilot project in 2021: "This means that we probably have the largest share of peas grown in-house in the industry nationwide. You could also say: 'We are the ones with the pea'." And for good reason, because the regional cultivation of peas shortens transport routes, saves resources, reduces CO2 emissions and strengthens domestic agriculture.
the pea - a multi-talent in nutrition and agriculture
The pea occupies a privileged position in the production of plant-based meat alternatives. Farmer Frank Kemmerling from Vettweiß: "Nature also benefits from this. Because the pea binds nitrogen in the soil and utilises it as a natural fertiliser, it is good for agricultural soils, groundwater and crop rotation."
After harvesting, the peas are transported to the nearby office of the Buir-Bliesheimer Agrargenossenschaft in Embken, where the pulses are stored after pre-cleaning for later processing. "We are pleased to be able to offer our farmers an attractive crop with pea cultivation side by side with endori," explains Peter-Josef Gormanns, managing director of the Buir-Bliesheimer Agrargenossenschaft.
The endori parent company Pfeifer & Langen Industrie- und Handels-KG has had a close partnership with farmers in many regions of Germany for several generations. Frank Schmitz, Head of the Agricultural Value Chain at Pfeifer & Langen, predicts that pea cultivation will continue to grow: "We are already planning to double the area under peas next year and are more than confident that more and more farmers will decide to cultivate peas in the years to come.
about endori
endori was founded in April 2015 by the Büse and Wedel families in Bamberg out of love for good food and hunger for a better future for animals, people and the environment. Currently, around 180 employees are working on the production of delicious plant-based foods as an alternative to products of animal origin. The company currently produces plant-based meat and fish alternatives such as burger patties, sausages, minced meat, kebabs and many more, which can be used as a safe alternative to meat and fish in practically all dishes.
In the use of raw materials, the focus is on protein crops, such as peas grown in traditional multi-field farming. The company deliberately avoids the use of soy, palm fat and artificial flavours. Unlike many of its competitors, endori does not involve any meat-processing companies in the entire value chain - from the field to the fork.
The "endori veggie" products are available in German and Austrian retail stores as well as via the company's own online shop. In addition, they are already purchased by well-known players in the food industry and can thus be found in restaurants, hotels, clinics, schools, company canteens and many other professional food sectors. For the food retail trade, distribution takes place directly through Reichold Feinkost GmbH (Feinkost Dittmann).
Andreas Traugott Müller
endori food GmbH & Co. KG
Industriestrasse 2
96135 Stegaurach
