The Limburg-based company, Looop, processes potato scraps from potato-processing businesses into a starch ingredient that is used in dog kibble. "In a circular business model, you always need to look both ways: at your suppliers of residual streams and at the customers to whom you deliver a product."
Each year, Looop, based in Venlo, processes 1.5 billion kilos of residual and waste streams in Northwest Europe into reusable ingredients. "We are continuously looking for new ways to upgrade residual streams from the food industry," says Kelly Vermeer, Strategic Business Development Manager at Looop. Looop, originally a transport company, has been involved in the ‘valorisation’ of food industry co-products for thirty-five years. Examples include potato peelings, whey from cheese producers, and vegetable and fruit waste, which are used to make products such as pet food, animal feed, insect substrates, or biobased materials.
Business Innovation Program Food
Looop develops products independently and participates in innovative projects to advance new technologies for processing residual streams. About five years ago, while searching for new applications for organic residual streams, Vermeer joined the Business Innovation Program Food (BIPF). "It’s an insightful programme with mentors who provide strong training and ask critical, thought-provoking questions."
"You might have an idea in your head, but you need to probe deeply to discover where the challenges lie, in order to develop the right product."
Pet food en pet care
"Potato scraps from fry factories were often used in feed for pig farming in the past. We are now creating a product for pet food from them. We dry the raw potato scraps and process them into an ingredient for dog food. For this purpose, a new factory was built in Ysselsteyn, where two thousand truckloads of potato scraps are processed annually." Through BIPF, Vermeer has also delved into the pet care market, with the result that Looop now produces 100 percent circular cat litter made from grain residues, which is now sold in over 70 stores.
BIPF: Getting to the core faster
The training sessions during BIPF "sharpened" Vermeer’s approach, helping her reach the core of new product development more quickly. "You might have an idea in your head, but you need to thoroughly question your suppliers and customers to find out where the pain points lie, in order to develop the right product. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t make too many assumptions yourself, but rather ask stakeholders about their needs. This helps you test whether a viable business model exists."
Reviewing the various product models for different residual streams has also provided Vermeer with valuable insights. "I now apply that knowledge to the development of new applications for plant-based residual streams."
Text by: Francien van Zetten
