Mumbai, May 24 (PTI) Symega Food Ingredients, manufacturer of seasonings, culinary products and natural colours, on Tuesday said it has established a greenfield research and development laboratory and will set up a manufacturing unit at Kochi in Kerala with an investment of Rs 100 crore in the next five years.

With an R&D (Research & Development) laboratory and a 150 tonne per month manufacturing capacity at its Kochi unit, Symega is planning to cater to the growing demands of plant-based foods in India and abroad, the company said in a statement.

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This investment also includes setting up a greenfield facility at Kochi to manufacture extruded proteins and double its existing capacity by the end of this year.

By 2030, Symega aims to make India the manufacturing hub of plant-based proteins for Europe and Asia.

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Manufacturing operations of Symega are based out of its facilities at the Synthite Taste Park near Kochi, while the R&D facilities are located at Kochi, Bangalore (Karnataka) and Gurugram (Delhi NCR).

"Plant-based proteins are not limited to only vegan food items, but are fast growing as a logical alternative for healthy food habits and a sustainable lifestyle. Symega is committed to become the platform for this change and make India the hub of plant-based protein revolution in Asia. To that extent, we are committing Rs 100 crore over the next five years to ramp up R&D and manufacturing capabilities," Symega managing director Santhosh Stephen said.

Having an R&D laboratory and the manufacturing unit at the same facility, coupled with the company's strong backward integration till the doorstep of a farmer, it has vertically integrated the entire supply chain and has the solution for every pain point between an idea and product launch," Symega's plant-based protein division business head Rethesh Kumar said.

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