Lely Invests in Dutch Scale-Up Grassa

Lely and Grassa have officially joined forces through a cooperation agreement that marks a significant step forward in sustainable agriculture. At the heart of this partnership lies a shared ambition: to unlock the full potential of grass. In addition, Lely aims to explore whether grass processing could provide an additional business model for farmers.

Optimal Grass Valorisation

The collaboration includes Lely’s investment in Grassa’s two-year pilot project, which aims to scale up grass processing in the Netherlands. As part of this initiative, a large-scale grass press will be installed in Gelderland. This local facility will allow farmers to deliver fresh grass, which will then be processed into ‘opened’ grass fiber and grass juice.

The grass juice will be processed into high-quality proteins that can be used for animal feed now and potentially for human food in the future. The opened grass will be returned to farmers in bales, ready to be fed directly to cows or stored as silage.

Farmers will receive financial compensation for the grass protein they deliver, potentially providing an additional business model.

Leadership Commentary

“We see the potential of grass. By optimising its value, we can provide both cows and humans with highly valuable nutrition, while simultaneously improving farmers’ prosperity and the environmental impact of the farm further. With this investment, we aim to accelerate and scale up the process of grass valorisation,” said André van Troost, CEO of Lely.

Rieks Smook, CEO of Grassa, added, “Lely and Grassa share a strong commitment to creating a new and sustainable perspective for dairy farmers. That’s why we’re incredibly happy and proud to welcome Lely as an investor — a trusted partner and established name who brings both experience and credibility. With Lely's support, we can accelerate our impact and scale meaningful change in the agricultural sector.”

Exploring Future Potential

Lely and Grassa are also exploring whether this processing method, and with it the optimal valorisation of grass, can develop into a viable business model for farmers, further increasing the economic and ecological value of grass.

Together, Lely and Grassa are working toward more sustainable and efficient farming practices.

For more information about Grassa, visit: www.grassa.nl/en