The REWE Group, one of Europe’s largest retail organizations, has become the newest member of Food Fermentation Europe (FFE), an association representing the fermentation-enabled food and ingredients sector in the region.
“We can only successfully shape a sustainable food transition through cross-industry cooperation and open dialogue”
FFE, established in 2023, brings together companies focused on precision and biomass fermentation technologies aimed at producing alternative, sustainable proteins and ingredients. Current members include startups such as Better Dairy, Formo, Imagindairy, Onego Bio, and Those Vegan Cowboys, alongside others like Standing Ovation, Vivici, and Bon Vivant. MicroHarvest joined as the first biomass fermentation member last year.
Emilie Bourgoin, Group Director Public Affairs at REWE Group, stated: “With our membership in FFE, REWE Group emphasises its active part in shaping the protein transition. Against the backdrop of global challenges such as the growing world population and the pressure on supply chains, we see the diversification of our protein sources as a decisive lever for a more balanced nutrition.
REWE Group operates extensively across 21 European countries, managing numerous retail brands including REWE, BILLA, PENNY, and others, alongside travel and tourism businesses under the DERTOUR Group umbrella. In 2024, the company reported external revenues exceeding €96 billion.
REWE’s protein strategy
REWE’s protein strategy involves shifting both supply and consumer demand toward plant-based and alternative proteins, with a focus on fermentation technologies to develop scalable and environmentally sustainable protein solutions. The company sees fermentation as key to expanding product diversity and contributing to climate mitigation efforts.
“FFE offers us the opportunity to support technological developments at an early stage in close cooperation with innovative partners and to contribute our commercial expertise to political and regulatory discussions at EU level. At the same time, we strengthen consumer confidence in novel proteins. It is clear to us that we can only successfully shape a sustainable food transition through cross-industry cooperation and open dialogue,” continued Bourgoin.
Sebastien Louvion, President of Food Fermentation Europe, noted that REWE is the first retailer to join the organization. “This is an important milestone towards adoption of products of modern fermentation technologies, with REWE being the first retailer to recognize the market potential of a new generation of food products with significantly reduced environmental footprint that support a sustainable economic growth for Europe.”
