AGWA (AgriFood Growth & Water Abundance), Abu Dhabi’s newly launched food and water cluster, has announced that Swiss alternative protein innovation and production specialists NUOS will commence operations in Abu Dhabi and establish an innovation center and food manufacturing facilities for alternative protein production.
NUOS is the world’s most advanced facility for producing alternative protein at scale and establishes the category-leading innovation, production, and commercialization ecosystem serving the global markets from Abu Dhabi.
NUOS AG will create an HQ in Abu Dhabi, to leverage the Emirate’s strategic location and resources to further its growth in Europe, North America, and the Middle East North African market. Further, NUOS MENA will be a central innovation, production, and commercialization hub to facilitate and manage its major projects.
Badr Al Olama Director General ADIO
“The development of a world-leading alternative protein production facility in Abu Dhabi marks a significant step forward for both the UAE and the wider region. Once operational, the facility will add scale, diversity, and accessibility to our growing food ecosystem, bringing with it real-world benefits that will be immediately felt by consumers. Importantly, this development sends a strong vote of confidence about Abu Dhabi’s intent to be an influential global player in sustainable food solutions, where the Emirate is openly embracing a future for food characterized by innovations that deliver impact.”
With this partnership, NUOS will be the world-leading independent Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization facility for alternative proteins, able to overcome current limitations by delivering scale, quality, and price-parity with conventional meat products, thus unlocking mass demand at price points and product quality that the mass consumer expects.
The company will also collaborate with Abu Dhabi-based research and development institutes in areas related to innovative and sustainable food technologies. Additionally, it seeks to form partnerships with Abu Dhabi-based universities to build local talent capabilities related to innovative and sustainable food technologies.
Bjoern Witte, Chairman of NUOS, said that, “NUOS AG was created to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system. Foundational to achieving this goal is creating a giga factory for an alternative protein that can meet the global consumer demands for high-quality meat alternative products at competitive prices. For the launch of our first giga facility, we have been looking for the right partner who shares the vision and mission, and has the ecosystem to drive a global transition.”
“Amongst all of the nations’ proposals NUOS received, it was clear from the outset that Abu Dhabi would be the natural partner. Through a combination of their vision, commitment, local infrastructure, and long-term partnership appetite we felt that we could accelerate this transition to a sustainable food system together, and create the gold standard for the food industry globally,” Witte further added.
