Dutch vegan meat company “Schouten Europe” launched “tempeh Today” in Bangalore, India. The company manufactures tempeh locally in small, high-tech shipping containers. Tempeh Today plans to open at least another 100 shipping-container factories across India in the next five years with the target of reducing the protein deficit in the country. “
“It is more cost-effective to have a decentralized production of tempeh in India than to produce it in one large factory, This also simplifies the local sourcing of raw materials from smaller farmers.”
Schouten Europe CEO Henk
The tempeh factories will be powered by solar panels, 60 percent of the tempeh produced will be immediately frozen and transported to a central warehouse for storage and packing for the local retail and foodservice industry. The remaining 40 percent will be used for meals for school children.
The mini-factories will be monitored from the Netherlands to ensure standardized production, consistent quality, and food safety.
Tempeh Today will give 800 local workers, and 2,000 local soybean farmers will supply soybeans to the tempeh factories hoping they'll reach 10,000 metric tons of tempeh per year.