Bauer Group Opens Plant-Based Production and Innovation Centre in Wasserburg

Bavarian Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber, Wasserburg Mayor Bastian Wernthaler, and around 200 guests attended the first day. The site will produce plant-based dairy alternatives using raw materials sourced from farms in the surrounding region.

We firmly believe that regional production of plant-based milk alternatives is the way forward,” told reporters Heiko Modell, CEO of the Bauer Group. Bauer is asking its existing supplier estates to add crops such as soya to their operations. Per to CCO Tim Schwertner, the business has been in contact with growers about developing domestic cultivation of plant-based raw materials.

Heiko Modell © Bauer Group German dairy processors moving into plant-based Bauer joins a list of established German and Austrian dairy processors that have built plant-based capacity rather than ceding the category to specialists. Ehrmann, Zott, and Berchtesgadener Land have all introduced plant-based lines, while Bavarian neighbour Andechser Molkerei has run an organic plant-based range for several years.

Germany remains the largest trade for plant-based food in Europe, and domestic production of oat, soya, and other bases has expanded as retailers have pushed for local sourcing. Florian Bauer, a member of the supervisory board and representative of the fifth generation of the family, tied the decision to the business’s regional history. “It has always been important to us to support the region and our partners. We have deep roots here in Wasserburg, and for us, there was never any question that we would in addition organise our plant-based production regionally.” The business states the expansion will safeguard existing positions at the site and create new ones.