Former Alpro boss Sue Garfitt joins The Protein Brewery as CEO

The Protein Brewery, a developer of fermented plant-based proteins, has appointed former Alpro boss Sue Garfitt to the role of CEO.

Garfitt has been chosen to lead the next stage of the Dutch company’s development as it prepares to go to market.

The Protein Brewery manufactures nutritious and sustainable foods such as Fermotein, an ingredient rich in fibre and protein and made from water-efficient and non-allergenic crops.

Garfitt joins the company after leaving Alpro earlier this year. She was a key driving force in establishing the Danone-owned brand as a leader in the plant-based space and delivered year-on-year double-digit growth, said The Protein Brewery.

“I am excited to be joining The Protein Brewery at this pivotal moment in the company’s development,” said Garfitt. “I look forward to working with an enthusiastic and smart group of colleagues to further accelerate the company’s position in championing fermented fungal food ingredients across the globe.”

Garfitt has extensive leadership experience in the food sector, having also worked at PepsiCo and New York Bakery.

“She has broad and quite unique experience, from both the food sector in general and, more specifically, an impressive track record in pioneering in the plant-based field, setting the scene for what plant-based is today,” said Bente Korsgaard Andersen, chair of the board at The Protein Brewery.

“Sue knows how to bring a story to market and grow the business,” he added. “We are confident she will be successful in driving The Protein Brewery forward in supplying scalable, smart and sustainable food ingredient solutions, contributing to feeding a growing population towards 10 billion people in 2050.”

The Protein Brewery’s first commercial scale-up brewery is under construction and expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2023. Once ready, the new facility will significantly increase production capacity from 100kg per week towards 3,000kg per week.

“We are well positioned to deploy our scientific capabilities and prepare for the next stage of bringing Fermotein and other alternative protein solutions to the market,” added Garfitt. “I am confident that we, supported by our committed investors, can significantly impact global food producers’ journey towards providing healthy, nutritious and sustainable foods.”