Company to begin producing sustainable barley protein ingredient for pet and aquafeed at new Idaho facility
Scoular of Omaha, Nebraska, on Dec. 7 celebrated the opening of its new facility in Jerome, Idaho, that will produce Emerge, a first-of-its-kind concentrated barley protein. Emerge was developed to help meet the growing demand for plant-based, sustainable ingredients in pet food and aquafeed.
“Scoular is proud to develop this innovative feed product and partner with Idaho’s barley farmers and pet food and aqua feed manufacturers to add value throughout the supply chain,” said Scoular CEO Paul Maass. “Scoular has a long history of success with our Jerome, Idaho, teams and customers, and we are thrilled to make additional investments in this region.”
Joining Maass at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Jerome were David Faith, chairman of Scoular’s board of directors; Laura Wilder, executive director of the Idaho Barley Commission; and Mike Williams, city administrator of Jerome.
“Idaho is the top-producing barley state in the U.S., growing 37 percent of the nation’s crop in 2021,” Wilder said. “Scoular’s new facility will bring expanded opportunities for growers, further strengthening Idaho’s place as the No. 1 source of consistent, high-quality barley in the U.S.”
Emerge, both traceable and non-GMO, is the only barley protein for feed customers. It is created through a patent-pending process that concentrates the protein naturally found in whole barley kernels, creating a nutrient-dense ingredient for use in pet food and aqua feed.
