Beyond Meat has opened a new production facility in the Netherlands, marking the plant-based meat pioneer’s first co-manufacturing capabilities in Europe.

The new state-of-the-art facility in Zoeterwoude – owned and operated by Zandbergen – will produce the Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage and is intended to allow for more efficient distribution of Beyond Meat’s products across EMEA.

Production at the new Zandbergen co-manufacturing facility will also include the upcoming debut of new packaging for both the Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage available in EMEA.

The lighter, more sustainable packaging aligns with Beyond Meat’s commitment to sustainability and will feature fully recyclable trays and 30% less material overall by reducing paper and plastic use.

This week, Beyond Meat also marked a milestone with the acquisition of its first manufacturing facility in Europe located in Enschede, the Netherlands.

This Beyond Meat owned facility will be the first outside of Missouri, USA to handle Beyond Meat’s innovative approach to texturizing plant proteins, the first step in the company’s manufacturing process.

The new Beyond Meat facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2020 allowing for end-to-end manufacturing capabilities in Europe.

“This latest investment in production capacity reflects our continued commitment to serving global markets,” said Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat.

“Our new facility in Enschede will not only bring production closer to the consumer, representing an investment in the markets and communities we serve, but is expected to allow us to leverage local supply chains, improving our cost structure and sustainability of operations.”