A groundbreaking facility – work begins on Alfa Laval’s Food Application & Innovation Center

Construction has started on a state-of-the-art innovation facility from Alfa Laval that promises to advance approaches to food processing and help tackle the global challenge to sustainably feed the world’s growing population.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place on 4th March in Søborg, Copenhagen, to mark the beginning of construction on Alfa Laval’s Food Application & Innovation Center, which will serve as a hub for cutting-edge research and development. 

The facility, located at the headquarters of Alfa Laval’s Food & Pharma businesses in the Danish capital, is set for completion in spring 2027 and will feature the full portfolio of Alfa Laval’s technologies, supporting the testing and development of solutions for both traditional as well as next-generation food production. 

For Alfa Laval, it will represent a key milestone on its journey to help address the increasing challenge of feeding the world’s growing population, with the United Nations estimating that 70% more food will be needed to feed the world by 2050. 

Johan Agrell, Strategic Business Development Manager, Food & Pharma Division, says the facility, which was first announced by Alfa Laval in January 2025, will become a place to develop pioneering ideas – including innovative biosolutions – together with customers and partners in the food value chain. 

He says: “Innovation is what we do at Alfa Laval, and the Food Application & Innovation Center will be a world-leading facility in the heart of Copenhagen, a major investment that will see us building stronger bridges with customers and partners, from start-ups to global producers. 

“Alfa Laval is proud to be walking the talk and establishing ourselves as part of the ecosystem that is looking to find resilient food solutions for meeting the global supply challenge, whether that is through traditional protein extraction or new fermentation processes.” 

The groundbreaking ceremony showcases the fact that the project has now moved decisively from planning into execution, with Danish construction and engineering contractor IBG appointed to build the facility, which will cover around 1,200 m². 

Sammy Hulpiau, President Food and Pharma Division, Alfa Laval, gave a speech about how the new Innovation Center represents a true commitment to helping billions of people get the nutritious food they deserve.

“This is an exciting moment and shows our commitment to a facility that will be comprehensive in terms of capabilities,” says Johan. “It will be a place where large corporates can develop and fine-tune processes with us, start-ups can establish proof of concept and scale up, and academic researchers from around the world can meet to develop and test new ideas.” 

The new facility will build on and align with the success of Alfa Laval’s Innovation House, founded in Copenhagen seven years ago, where Alfa Laval interacts with start-ups and accelerates the creation and development of new business ideas through knowledge sharing and partnerships. 

The initial focus of the Food Application & Innovation Center will be on protein processing , as this is one of the most significant and immediate challenges facing the industry in terms of securing sufficient and nutritious food to feed the world in a way that minimizes impacts on the environment and local ecosystems.   

Alfa Laval’s ambition is to use the facility to tackle these challenges holistically, looking at how to improve conventional production methods as well as exploring new and emerging opportunities to drive enhanced yields while using less energy and water and ensuring that the recovery of resources in waste streams is maximized. 

“This is the goal,” explains Johan. “Alfa Laval has been around for more than 140 years, and with our range of technologies, solutions, and competences, we aim to be at the forefront of the drive to build a more resilient food system.”