The only Czech factory producing large-scale vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes will continue to grow. The Nestlé plant in Krupka, North Bohemia, which produces vegetable burgers and cutlets for the whole of Europe and North America, is investing 1.4 billion crowns in new devices and expansion of production.
Nestlé in Krupka will increase the capacity of the production line, build a so-called mixing tower, build new warehouses for raw materials and finished products, and set up facilities for the development team.
“We invested 700 million crowns in the plant last year. We plan to invest 1.4 billion crowns in it for the next two years, “says Nestlé Česko spokesman Robert Kičina.
The production plant in Krupka for vegan and vegetarian products was opened in 2007 by Tivall. Ten years later, Nestlé took over production in full.
The largest share of meat substitutes from the Czech factory goes to France (17 percent), Germany (17 percent), the Netherlands (12 percent), Great Britain and Ireland (11 percent) and the Nordic countries (eight percent). Nestlé from the Czech Republic also supplies North American markets. In 2019, the plant produced over 11,000 tons of meat substitutes, last year it was over 16,000 tons. This year, the plant is to produce around 20,000 tons of food.
The value of ex-factory exports reached the level of 1.7 billion crowns in 2020. In 2019, it was 1.4 billion crowns.
In the Czech Republic, Nestlé meat substitute has been sold under the Garden Gourmet brand for about three years. The factory annually produces 734 tons of plant meat substitutes for the local Czech and Slovak market. That’s about four percent of the plant’s total production. “In terms of volume per capita, however, it is more than for Germany, where around 3,400 tons of meat substitutes are exported annually,” Kičina emphasizes.
Meat substitutes are also offered in the Czech Republic by the competing company Unilever with the brand The Vegetarian Butcher, which supplies plant alternatives for burgers and nuggets for the Czech Burger King network. Its production plant is located in the Netherlands.