{"id":16749,"date":"2024-02-08T08:59:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T07:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plnt.nl\/nieuws\/deep-branch-paves-the-way-for-a-climate-friendly-food-system\/"},"modified":"2024-02-08T09:21:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T08:21:10","slug":"deep-branch-paves-the-way-for-a-climate-friendly-food-system","status":"publish","type":"nieuwsberichten","link":"https:\/\/plnt.nl\/en\/news\/deep-branch-paves-the-way-for-a-climate-friendly-food-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep Branch paves the way for a climate-friendly food system"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Sometimes, a simple change of perspective can turn a problem into an opportunity. And sometimes, these opportunities can turn into highly successful businesses that are actively changing the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened with Deep Branch \u2014 a biotech company founded by Pete Rowe, Rob Mansfield, and Bart Pander.<\/p>\n

Since its start in 2018, the company has not only accumulated an impressive list of grants and two spots on Forbes\u2019 prestigious 30 under 30 list<\/a> but has also taken huge steps towards a more sustainable food system.<\/p>\n

But how did Deep Branch get here? And what exactly do they do? We talked to Pete Rowe to get the full story.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What does Deep Branch do?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the simplest of terms, the mission of Deep Branch<\/a> is \u201cto make a more sustainable food system\u201d by creating an environmentally friendly source of protein, Pete tells us.<\/p>\n

The science behind Deep Branch\u2019s technology involves a fermentation process using carbon dioxide and hydrogen gases.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost as if you\u2019re making wine,\u201d Pete smiles. Where the wine-making process uses microbes to convert sugar into alcohol, Deep Branch uses microbes to convert CO2 and hydrogen into protein.<\/p>\n

This protein is then utilised in animal feed, replacing conventional ingredients like soybean meal and fish meal. The result? Animal products with a significantly lower carbon footprint \u2014 thanks to reduced water and land usage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How did Deep Branch get started?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cI\u2019m a biotechnologist by training\u201d, Pete tells us: \u201cI did a PhD in the field of gas fermentation, so I analysed the ability to use gases in a bioprocess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have been studying this for decades as a way to sustainably produce chemicals \u2014 and one of the problems in the field is that the microbes like to use a lot of the carbon and energy you put in to make biomass instead of the target product.\u201d<\/p>\n

After finishing his PhD and moving to the Netherlands, the wheels of Pete\u2019s entrepreneurial brain started turning.<\/p>\n

He began asking himself: \u201cIs this \u2018protein problem\u2019 really a problem, or is it an opportunity? The biomass made by some gas fermenting microbes is incredibly rich in protein, so instead of the protein being an unwanted byproduct, could it be the primary product?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy, but we figured it out,\u201d Pete says \u2014 and so, Deep Branch was born.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What role did PLNT play in Deep Branch\u2019s StartUp Story?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Although Pete lived in Leiden when Deep Branch was founded, the rest of his team, along with its original base, were in the UK.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of founded the company remotely, but I needed an office to do my work here in Leiden,\u201d Pete explains. \u201cI spoke to the guys at PLNT and asked if they had a desk for me,\u201d he recalls with a smile \u2014 and, of course, PLNT welcomed him with open arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a good couple of years as part of the ecosystem here. It\u2019s an inspiring place.” Far away from the rest of his team, Pete especially liked the social aspect of PLNT: \u201cThe borrels were definitely one of my favourite parts,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How does Deep Branch help the world?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Deep Branch\u2019s website states that the company\u2019s goal is \u201cto make a positive impact on the world\u201d \u2014 so how do they do it? We asked Pete.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a few big trends that everyone\u2019s aware of in the next few years,\u201d he says, \u201cclimate change certainly is a big one.\u201d Add to that the increase in the global population, and there could be some big societal issues in the not-so-far future \u2014 one of them being food security.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin a 10 to 15-year timeframe, there will be issues in trying to source macro ingredients that we need for food and animal feed,\u201d Peter explains. \u201cThat\u2019s a bit scary for me\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur technology means all you need to make protein is CO2 and renewable energy. That\u2019s hopefully going to be an important way for countries to alleviate themselves from that issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What\u2019s in store for Deep Branch\u2019s future?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Since 2018, a lot has happened for Deep Branch: \u201cWe\u2019ve had to scale a technology, develop a product, work on applications for that product, and, of course, grow a business.\u201d But the company isn\u2019t stopping now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe view our business as a platform,\u201d Pete explains. \u201cProtein is one thing we can make, but industrial biotechnology has shown to be able to make a bunch of useful products, from enzymes used in laundry detergents to vitamins and even medicines.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we prove that our protein production process is technologically viable, the next step is to start bringing those next products through our pipeline.\u201d With this, Deep Branch is certainly poised for an exciting future of innovation and impact.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u201cIt\u2019s been an interesting journey: some things went really well, others didn\u2019t quite go to plan,\u201d Pete says at the end of our interview \u2014 \u201cit\u2019s been challenging, but also really cool.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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From its roots at PLNT to global recognition, Deep Branch\u2019s story demonstrates an inspiring commitment to transforming challenges into opportunities \u2014 and we\u2019re excited to see where their success will take them in the future!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"featured_media":16740,"template":"","class_list":["post-16749","nieuwsberichten","type-nieuwsberichten","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nDeep Branch paves the way for a climate-friendly food system - PLNT<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The mission of Deep Branch is \u201cto make a more sustainable food system\u201d by creating an environmentally friendly source of protein, Pete tells us.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/plnt.nl\/en\/news\/deep-branch-paves-the-way-for-a-climate-friendly-food-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deep Branch paves the way for a climate-friendly food system - 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