Considered the biggest innovation award in the sector, the company from Paraná competed with its concentrated cowpea protein alongside other giants in the market

SL Alimentos, a company established in 1988 in the north of Paraná, has just won the “Innovation in Sustainability” award at the Fi Innovation Awards 2023. Created with the main purpose of encouraging and recognizing innovations presented by the ingredient, food and beverages industries, the award featured a panel of judges made up of C-Level professionals and specialized researchers.

At the ceremony held on the night of October 16th, at the Rosewood São Paulo Events Center, the company won the trophy with its concentrated cowpea protein, which can be used for baby food, extruded products, biscuits, bread, cakes, supplements, meat analogues and textured protein. Containing twice as much protein as other cereals used by the industry, cowpea is highly nutritious, rich in iron and zinc, and offers several health benefits, in addition to helping to prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancer and coronary heart disease.

For the company's Research & Development director, Thomaz Setti, another important gain is that cowpea replaces traditionally imported vegetable proteins, encouraging rural producers to plant grains with high nutritional value and which also increase the nutrition of the land, recovering and promoting sustainability. “Beans are the ingredient of the present and the future because are obtained without the need to exploit water resources and without the use of chemical reagents. For the consumer, it also offers the advantages of increasing the protein content of foods and improving the amino acid profile, in addition to contributing to food safety. We are thrilled and proud with this recognition,” he said.

Focused on the evolution of the sector and new developments, SL stands out in the B2B market as the leader in oats in Brazil and one of the largest whole grain processing mills in Latin America. This year, with the slogan “Innovation begins with the ingredient,” the company brought all its expertise and an extensive portfolio based on healthiness, indulgence, and sustainability to FiSA. Signatories of the UN Global Compact since 2022 and members of the Net Zero Ambition Movement, the group of companies have demonstrated their commitments through the Regenerative Agriculture Program, disseminated to more than two hundred partner farmers, and the good practices that can be proven with the annual publication of the GHG Inventory. Among other initiatives, it is one of the ten companies that are part of the Integrated Biotechnology Platform for Healthy Ingredients (PBIS) which, under the leadership of the Institute of Food Technology (ITAL), has the mission of developing healthy and innovative ingredients from national raw materials to reinforce the competitiveness of the food industry. Furthermore, it is also part of BRDE Labs Paraná, an open innovation program from the Regional Development Bank of the Far South (BRDE) that connects big companies and startups in the search for solutions in areas such as environmental management, reverse logistics, noise reduction, expansion of diverse and qualified labor, among others.

“It is an honor and a joy to win this unprecedented and important award at the Fi Innovation Awards. In the past years, we have prepared ourselves to offer nutritious and healthy options that are driven by innovation and sustainability. This award certainly reaffirms that we are moving in the right direction,” declared Roberta Meneghel, CEO of SL Alimentos.