Since the beginning of 2023, Leiber has been a member of the BalPro Association for Alternative Protein Sources (“Verband für alternative Proteinquellen”).
On 30 January, 2023, BalPro made the official announcement that Leiber is a new member of the association. Our company was featured on the BalPro website and on social networks such as LinkedIn.
Why has Leiber joined BalPro?
Based on the idea that “differentiating beats ideologising”, BalPro is an independent platform of companies, start-ups, politics and research institutes that form a network for exchanging branch-specific expertise on all matters relating to alternative proteins.
The exciting feature here is that the association members themselves act within the entire value chain of alternative proteins, thus forming a network of experts from a wide range of fields, who are able to find answers to complex questions.
At Leiber, we see the topic of alternative proteins as a key technology and are therefore convinced that being a member of BalPro and benefitting from the associated exchange of information and open dialogue within the companies will make an important contribution to furthering the economic development of alternative proteins and allow Leiber to strengthen its interests and position in the various markets.
We recognise numerous opportunities for constructive and transparent dialogue with many of the association members and for developing relationships with new and existing customers and project partners.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
To kick off 2023, Leiber is establishing a cross-functional marketing approach and stepping up its international sales in the Life Science Business Unit.
Karolin Kreutzer has been heading up Leiber’s cross-sector marketing department since 1.1.2023. As a trained advertising specialist and an experienced saleswoman, she previously represented Leiber’s Nutraceuticals Business Unit as its Global Business Development Manager, a role in which she enjoyed international success. She will continue to develop the Leiber brand’s strategic thrust together with marketing experts Jana Blank and Karen Mörler.
“Leiber’s position as a market leader for product solutions consisting of brewers’ yeast is thanks to its constant innovativeness. Our dedicated colleagues in the various specialist fields and countries contribute extensively to the success of this family-run, medium-sized company. What I am most looking forward to in my new position is further enhancing these actively implemented values from within the company and making them visible externally through targeted communication,” says Karolin Kreutzer.
Within the Life Science Business Unit, two new Key Account Managers will be looking after our customers in Europe: Ms Eike Meyer-Wetjen will be supporting customers in Germany/Austria and Ireland/UK with immediate effect. Mr Alessandro Sobacchi is the contact person for the expansion of the Italian market. Both have long-term experience in the food industry and have already worked successfully as distribution partners for Leiber in the past. With these two experts, Leiber is specifically stepping up its direct selling in these countries.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
Leiber is once again presenting its products at specialist trade fairs around the globe with a new, sustainable stand concept. Following the forced hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, visitors at the EuroTier trade fair were delighted to engage in face-to-face talks again. Leiber focused on the sustainability of its brewers’ yeast products under the slogan ‘Give Yeast a Second Life’. Digital brochures and reusable stand construction elements at the small, but fine 40 m² stand also underscored the importance of sustainability to Leiber.
106,000 people attended the world’s leading trade fair for professional animal production and livestock management in Hanover in November. In order to specifically engage in dialogue with professional visitors, Leiber’s stand concept was designed for communication, with brewers’ yeast products on display, a touch wall with video clips and slide shows and a download area for digital brochures.
Helge Jakubowski, Director of Leiber’s Animal Nutrition Business Unit, and his team were delighted about the numerous discussions conducted with customers and interested visitors. “It was wonderful to be able to talk about innovations and joint projects in person again. This professional exchange is inspiring for all concerned.” The clearly visible trade fair stand offered a convivial, informative backdrop for this.
Around 1,800 manufacturers from 57 countries took part in EuroTier at the trade fair grounds in Hanover from 15 to 18 November 2022. Each day, national and international companies presented their products and innovations in 14 halls covering an area of 250,000 m² following a four-year break in physical attendance.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
In future, Leiber will use waste wood to generate a large proportion of the heat energy and about one third of the electricity required for its production operations in Engter, Lower Saxony. To this end, the brewers’ yeast specialist is investing around 14 million euros in a new biomass power plant.
Regarding the start of construction in October 2022, Bernd Schmidt-Ankum, Managing Director of Leiber GmbH, said: “With the biomass power plant in Engter, we want to use waste wood to replace around 70% of the gas previously required for our production. Here, we are pursuing the goal of manufacturing our products not only in a sustainable way, but also in a climate-neutral way in the future.”
Leiber needs heat for the production process: for drying the brewers’ yeast in spray towers and for extracting high-quality, health-promoting ingredients. At Engter, this thermal energy has been generated from gas, until now. To replace this fossil fuel with a renewable raw material, Leiber is building a biomass power plant that will be fuelled by waste wood.
“By the end of 2023, the new biomass power plant should be supplying around half of the gas and electrical energy. This will allow us to save up to 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per year,” said Oliver Beckmann, Director Technology & Production. “This will bring us closer to our goal of using energy even more efficiently and manufacturing Leiber’s products as sustainably and climate-neutrally as possible.”
The boiler plant of the new biomass power plant will be constructed on a footprint of 760 square metres. The wood storage facility covers an area of 570 square metres and can store up to 2,500 cubic metres of waste wood. A maximum of 3 tonnes of wood will be burnt per hour, equating to around 15,000 tonnes per year. The waste wood used to fuel the plant is waste from wood processing facilities, or pruned material from landscape conservation.
Leiber will have the effects of this energy generation checked annually and recorded in a transparent manner as part of the company’s sustainability strategy. Leiber is certified on a regular basis according to the ZNU Quality Seal for Sustainable Management, which is awarded by the Center for Sustainable Leadership at the University of Witten Herdecke.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
In September 2022, Leiber inaugurated a completely new drying plant for brewers’ yeast in Krosniewice – which coincided with the company’s 20th anniversary of entrepreneurial involvement in Poland. The employees at Krosniewice celebrated this dual achievement with local politicians and business representatives, and 15 colleagues from the headquarters in Bramsche.
Katarzyna Erdman, the mayor of Krosniewice, emphasised the excellent collaboration with Leiber and welcomed the investment at the site.
In the now expanded factory, with its brand new plant, around 35 employees produce brewers’ yeast products that are shipped to customers around the globe. Leiber acquired the old production facility, which formerly belonged to a dairy, back in 2002 – which was before Poland joined the European Union in May 2004. The plant in Krosniewice gave Leiber access to Polish breweries, which allowed the company to further process the brewers’ yeast from these breweries without the need for long-distance transport. The new plant, with its modern and efficient drying system, now complements the existing facilities.
Many thanks, in advance, and kind regards from Bramsche
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
From left to right: Tobias Bunke (Global Business Development Manager Biotechnology); Bajo Bajovic (Strategic Product Development Nutrition); Dr. Bernd Weinreich (Business Unit Director Nutrition); Tobias (Regional Sales Coordinator Nutrition APAC)
Vegan beef broths, high-quality proteins to fortify plant-based drinks and salt reduction based on Leiber’s yeast product portfolio, were product solutions that particularly convinced the visitors at Leiber’s booth at Food Ingredients FI Asia in Jakarta in September 2022.
Food and beverage industry professionals tasted Leiber products in various applications – and delighted us with their positive feedback:
- Plant-based beverages, such as oat drinks, impressed with high protein content thanks to the new Leiber YeaProt® Conc.
- Our homemade chili sauce is full of flavour – due to Leiber Aromor Umami
- Soups and broths with reduced salt content but still full flavour thanks to Leiber Aromor Plus
Fermentation is also very much en vogue. That’s why our special yeast extracts, which can optimize fermentation processes, have attracted great interest from producers of fermented foods such as soy sauce and vinegar. producers of enzymes and biopharmaceuticals as well as users from the industrial biotechnology sector were also very interested in Leiber’s product solutions.
Next year in September Leiber will be presented at FI in Bangkok to extend its business connections with the professional community in Southeast Asia. We are already looking forward to welcoming you there!
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
Sustainable management is not a mere aspiration at Leiber, it is put into practice every day – which the “ZNU Sustainable Management” certificate now verifies. Brewers’ yeast specialist Leiber passed its first independent audit without reservation.
“We are proud to be able to present our sustainability promise now with signed and sealed authentication”, says Managing Director Bernd Schmidt-Ankum, referring to the successful ZNU certification. “Leiber’s approach of refining brewers’ yeast to create innovative products for humans and animals is also reflected in our processes and in our dealings with our employees.”
The ZNU Quality Seal for Sustainable Management is awarded by the Center for Sustainable Leadership (ZNU) at Witten/Herdecke University. Leiber selected this standard because it makes sustainability verifiable and quantifiable and thus leads to continuous improvement. In addition, annual audits check the continuous improvement process. Numerous food industry companies, such as breweries, apply the ZNU standard.
“With its ZNU certification, Leiber helps improve supply chain transparency: not only for the breweries that supply Leiber with brewers’ yeast, but also for the companies in the food industry and animal nutrition sector that receive products from Leiber”, says Dietmar Vahle, Head of Quality Management and Sustainability Manager at Leiber. “With optimised processes, we can use raw materials efficiently and avoid waste. This conserves resources and protects the environment.”
In addition to recognising Leiber’s reliable and energy-efficient production processes, the auditors also commended the company’s appreciative attitude to its employees. The company’s new and well-received suggestion scheme with bonus system was praised, for example.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Dietmar Vahle, Quality Management Officer and
Sustainability Manager at Leiber GmbH
ed.hbmgrebiel@elhav.d
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
Leiber’s new company headquarter in Bramsche-Engter is taking shape. In the future, the brewers’ yeast specialist will be bundling its Food, Life Science and Animal Nutrition Business Units, its in-house research and development facility and its administration under one roof at the new Leiber Campus – in the direct neighbourhood of its existing production facilities.
Leiber GmbH’s Managing Directors Bernd Schmidt-Ankum and Gilbert Klausmeyer welcomed representatives from the town of Bramsche to the official ground breaking ceremony.
“We are delighted to be able to celebrate this milestone in Leiber’s corporate history with you. The new company headquarter in Engter will act as a further boost to collaboration at Leiber and therefore to the future viability of our company,” said Bernd Schmidt-Ankum. “At the same time, we would like to cordially invite our business partners to visit us at the new Leiber Campus. In the future, this is where experts and specialists will be able to experience the brewers’ yeast specialities that Leiber produces.”
The Leiber Campus will receive its guests with a light-flooded atrium. A test kitchen on the ground floor, where guests and business partners will be able to try out new recipes containing the valuable ingredients that Leiber obtains from brewers’ yeast, will be a hub for dialogue. A company restaurant will provide catering for the employees and will open up to the grounds with a terrace and gardens. The upper two floors will also offer inviting areas for talks and meetings as well as offices. Particular value is attached to good light, fresh air and pleasant acoustics in the entire building. Natural, long-lasting materials will be used throughout.
“The new Leiber Campus will offer ideal conditions for new forms of work, which are aimed at reinforcing our innovativeness and making us even more attractive as an employer,” said Leiber’s Managing Director Gilbert Klausmeyer. “At the same time, our investment in new offices and laboratories is a clear commitment to our presence in Bramsche.”
To ensure the building’s energy-efficient operation, it has been planned according to the KfW “Energy-efficient Building 40” standard. In addition, the heat output from Leiber’s neighbouring production facility will be used to heat the building. Leiber’s modern drying plants and the extraction plant in Engter have been in operation since 2010 and 2017 respectively.
Among other ideas, hops are to be trained up the new building’s clinker façade. Shrubs and wild flowers will be planted around the Campus. The terrace on the southern side of the building will lead to a pond nestled in the grounds. The property’s wider areas will segue into a landscaped park, whose varied terrain will be carpeted with native trees and insect-friendly wild flowers. From Vördener Strasse, passers-by will be offered an occasional glimpse of the building through the greenery. Car parking spaces will be lined with trees and shaded.
Preparatory work for the Leiber Campus began in the spring of 2022. Around 100 employees who have so far been working spread out over three sites will be able to move into the new company headquarter in the summer of 2023. It will offer space for Leiber’s employees over three storeys covering a total usable area of around 2,700 square metres.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
By means of specifically defined aims for sustainable operation, Leiber is taking further steps towards sustainability.
Even the basic production idea of Leiber is sustainable, the refining of brewers’ yeast into innovative products for humans and animals. Beyond this upcycling, Leiber has identified concrete fields of action and defined targets for its supply chains, CO2 reduction, management culture and health.
“Specific aims are important in order for us to take and assess the right steps towards sustainability”, says Dietmar Vahle, Head of Quality Management and Sustainability Manager at Leiber. “They allow us to improve our development in line with the sustainability aims formulated by the United Nations so that it is measurable and transparent.”
This statement refers to the following fields of action and aims:
1. Code of Conduct
In 2021, Leiber gave itself a Code of Conduct regulating how to deal with corruption, forced labour and child labour as well as the principles of social responsibility, such as human rights, anti-discrimination and environmental protection. This is complemented by an anonymous reporting system for violations, as well as the obligation for colleagues and business partners to adhere to this Code of Conduct.
The aim is that, by the end of 2022, Leiber will have concluded agreements with 80% of its strategically important suppliers (those with an annual turnover exceeding €100,000) to bindingly adhere to this Code of Conduct. This can be fulfilled either by signing the Leiber Code of Conduct or by providing evidence that these requirements are fulfilled in an equivalent way.
2. CO2 reduction
In 2021, Leiber undertook its first carbon footprint calculation and thereby established the baseline for understanding future changes in a transparent way. In order to reduce CO2 emissions, concrete measures are planned, such as the construction of a biomass boiler. Untreated waste wood will be used in this, in particular for the generation of steam for drying brewers’ yeast.
The aim is for Leiber to become climate neutral at its Bramsche-Engter site in Germany by 2030. By 2024, the CO2 emissions there will already have been reduced by 50% thanks to the operation of the biomass boiler.
3. Management development
In 2021, Leiber defined the features of a successful management culture for interactions within the company. The competences of and requirements on managers were derived from these.
The aim is that all persons in leadership positions will be trained in the features of a successful management culture in the course of 2022.
4. Company health management
In order to support the health and well-being of its employees, Leiber will, introduce a health management system in 2022. Components of the company health management are in particular, ergonomic workplaces, returner interviews after long illnesses, vaccinations, company reintegration measures, occupational health examinations, refunds for workplace spectacles or business bicycles.
The aim is that, 50% of employees will have accepted at least one of the offers relating to preventative health care during 2022.
In 2021, Leiber decided to have its German production sites certified according to the ZNU standard for sustainable management in the future. The purpose of this is the conservation of resources, the efficient use of energy, and the consideration of economic, ecological and social aspects in a balanced manner. The ZNU standard supports companies and requires them to develop an individual, integrated management system for sustainable operation. This standard was established by the Center for Sustainable Leadership at the Witten/Herdecke University. It is regularly reviewed by independent auditors.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast to produce innovative products for humans and animals. For our customers we carry out research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
Leiber strives for ZNU Standard for 2022
Sustainability is one of the core concepts behind production at Leiber: refining brewers’ yeast into innovative products for people and animals. To continue this upcycling into the future, Leiber has decided to have its German production sites certified according to the ZNU Standard for Driving Sustainable Change in the future. The decision is aimed at preserving resources, using energy efficiently and taking economic, ecological and social aspects into account in equal measure.
The ZNU Standard encourages and requires companies to develop an individual, integrated management system for sustainable business management. The standard was established by the Centre for Sustainable Leadership at the University of Witten/Herdecke and undergoes regular review by independent auditors.
The practical and integrated approach has inspired Leiber to use the standard for its own production and begin external certification for 2022. To this end, the medium-sized enterprise has set up an in-house sustainability team and brought Fjol GmbH on board to support it on its journey to certification.
One milestone has already been achieved: the first corporate carbon footprint for 2020, which records the company’s current CO2 emissions for inventory purposes. In future, changes such as the use of renewable energy for production will be able to be measured on this standardised basis.
Furthermore, employees are able to make an active contribution with their own suggestions for improvements through Leiber’s new internal suggestion scheme. ‘The many knowledgeable suggestions made by our colleagues show just how important sustainability is internally,’ says Dietmar Vahle, Head of Quality Management and Sustainability Manager at Leiber. ‘We look forward to implementing the first very good suggestions for improvement immediately – for us, our customers and suppliers.’
The next goal is to obtain the ZNU Standard at the start of 2022 as part of external certification. Afterwards, it will remain the company’s task to implement further improvements on an ongoing basis.
About Leiber:
Leiber refines brewers’ yeast into innovative products for humans and animals. For our cus-tomers we conduct research in our own laboratories and develop tailor-made solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnology and agricultural applications. We reliably supply excellent products – and have been upcycling at world-market level since 1954.
