New grass-pressing facility in Kootwijkerbroek gets more value from grass and offers prospects for farmers, animals and the food chain
Kootwijkerbroek, 25 September 2026. On Friday 25 September, Grassa officially opened a new grass-pressing facility in Kootwijkerbroek. The facility processes grass from dairy farmers in the region into protein-rich grass juice and opened-up grass fibre. It marks an important step for Grassa towards large-scale extraction of protein from Dutch grass, and towards better use of nutrients on the dairy farm.
More than a hundred guests from agriculture, science, business and government attended the opening. They included dairy farmers, suppliers, investors, representatives of Wageningen University & Research, and dairy cooperatives. The official opening was performed jointly by Marten van den Berg, Director-General at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN), and Helga Witjes, member of the Provincial Executive of Gelderland.
More value from the same grass
Grass has formed the basis of the Dutch dairy cow’s diet for generations. But grass contains more protein than the cow extracts from it. Grassa has developed a technology that presses fresh grass immediately after mowing and separates it into several valuable streams.
The new facility in Kootwijkerbroek processes grass from around ten dairy farmers in the area, producing protein-rich grass juice and opened-up grass fibre. The farmers are showing that pressed grass fibre produces the same amount of milk, with less nitrogen in manure and urine.
The grass juice is currently used, among other things, as feed for pigs. In a next phase, Grassa aims to extract high-value functional ingredients and proteins for people and animals from it.
A green start is a good start
For CEO Rieks Smook, the opening marks the beginning of a new phase for Grassa.
“A green start is half the battle. A lot of preparation goes into a first pressing like this. It requires good coordination with, among others, the dairy farmers and the agricultural contractor. And when that first load of grass (the 'first cut') comes in well and the press is running, you know you have laid an important foundation for everything that follows. That gives confidence that further scale-up will succeed, and that it is possible to get more value from grass on a large scale without grass losing its important function as animal feed.”
“The Grassa concept can make the difference for farmers who have to meet their nitrogen targets. I invite sector partners and government to work together through Grassa to help farmers with their nitrogen challenge.”
Setting the machine in motion together
The official commissioning took the form of a ceremony in which CEO Rieks Smook, founder Johan Sanders, Director-General for Agro (Ministry of LVVN) Marten van den Berg, Provincial Executive member Helga Witjes, investor Martijn Boelens on behalf of Lely, and Mayor Jacco van der Tak of the municipality of Barneveld rolled up their sleeves together.
Using a pitchfork, they loaded grass into the facility and then pressed the button together to officially start the grass press. A symbolic image: just as with the challenge agriculture faces, progress only comes when the whole chain works together.
“The greatest gain often lies not in solving problems after the fact, but in preventing them.”
Speaking on behalf of the Province of Gelderland, Helga Witjes addressed the audience on the five criteria the province applies to innovations, and how well Grassa fits them. Jacco van der Tak, for his part, described Grassa as an initiative that can offer hope in these times of polarisation.
From demonstration to scale-up
With the Kootwijkerbroek facility operational, Grassa is entering its next phase. In the coming period, the company aims to connect more dairy farmers and chain partners and to further develop applications for the various products from grass.
The facility should not only show that the technology works, but above all demonstrate how grass refining can be fitted into the day-to-day practice of dairy farmers.
At the same time, Grassa is working on further processing the grass juice into high-value ingredients. This creates, alongside the existing stream of grass as animal feed, a new raw material stream for the agrifood chain from the same grassland.
The ambition is to scale up the concept further after the demonstration phase and apply grass refining at multiple locations. In this way, Grassa wants to ensure that fresh grass is processed locally as much as possible and that the value gained stays in the food chain as much as possible. In the Netherlands for now, but ultimately all over the world.
About Grassa
Grassa is a Dutch company specialising in the biorefining of grass. The company has developed technology to separate fresh grass into proteins, fibres and juices, and works with farmers, knowledge institutions and partners across the agrifood chain towards a more sustainable agricultural and food system.
