Aurion
The problem Aurion is aspiring to solve
Our food system is broken. One of the problems is we use too much land to grow feed for animal. To stay within planetary boundaries and reach the goal of the Paris agreement, it is crucial to decrease our consumption of animals and replace it with delicious, nutritious plant-based ingredients and products. It is also essential to bring down the amount of food that is being transported and foster local productions instead. All while assuring a healthy soil.
Aurion is an iconic company when it comes to biodynamic and organic agriculture. They were among the first in Denmark to explore the holistic, ecological, and ethical approach of biodynamic methods, and ever since they were founded in 1974, their goal has been to create a balance between human and nature.
Aurions solution
Aurion is buying grains from local, organic, and biodynamic farmers. After being cleaned and stone grinded, the products are sold both B2C and B2B – primarily to retail stores, food service companies and specialty shops.
The product line of Aurion is various with 26 sorts of grains, seeds, flour and different mixes of oats, muesli, and porridge. All the products are 100% organic, and 60% of them has the Demeter Biodynamic Certification.
The newest products to be added to the assortment is local, ecological legumes. With different sorts of lenses, beans, and peas there is a big potential to grow the market of locally produced plant-based protein, and thereby decrease meat consumption as well as food transportation.
Planetary’s investment reason and theory of change
Our primary motivation to invest in Aurion is guided by a wish to foster healthy soil, biodynamic agriculture, and local production. We need to protect and build critical infrastructure for processing locally sourced grains and legumes. By replacing animal source foods with plant-based products we can reduce 50% - 97% of the CO2-emissions pr. kg. nutrition, depending on the substitution.
We believe that Aurion can contribute to the transition towards a more plant-based consumption – both through direct sale of premium products and by serving as a platform for startups innovating within legumes.
The interest of the regenerative principles is growing these years, and more and more land is being used for biodynamic agriculture. Aurion has both the experience and the network to be a change agent and play a key role in the journey towards creating a food system that is driven by planetary regeneration.
The commercial side
Flour and bread are trending products, and high-end bakeries are popping up on every street corner in big cities. The demand for plant-based protein is also increasing. Combined with the “Organic action plan” of the European Commission – requiring at least 25% of agricultural land in EU to be under organic farming by 2030 – the potential of a brand like Aurion is big. Furthermore, dietary suggestions recommend at least 100 grams of legumes per person per day - which is 25x more than we currently eat in Denmark.
Denmark is the country in Europe where most consumers tend to fill up their grocery baskets with organic products – around 12% of all products being sold are organic. It is to be expected that this demand will increase in the coming years. The potential of selling Aurion’s products also lies beyond the boarder of Denmark, e.g. in Germany where there is a growing interest for biodynamic products.