Food developer and manufacturer Plant & Bean announced Wednesday that it plans to open the largest plant-based meat production facility in Europe. The company said the move enables it to meet increasing demand for the products.

The 263,000-sq-m plant in Boston, Lincolnshire, UK will initially feature a capacity of 55,000 tn, offering a fully-certified European manufacturing platform for smaller scale companies, large international firms, and retailers.

In addition to the facility in Europe, Plant & Bean said it intends to open similar large-scale plants in the US in 2021 and Asia in 2022.

Plant & Bean also revealed several new strategic partnerships this week with non-GMO soy proteins manufacturer and supplier Griffith Foods and the research instituions Wageningen University & Research and Singapore Institute of Technology. The parties will collaborate on technological developments that will reduce the price and improve the quality of plant-based meats.

“Right now, 65% of consumers do not eat plant-based meats due to price or quality. With our two-pronged approach, we believe we are best placed to make the meaningful change required to tackle these issues. With our progressive global manufacturing strategy, brands will finally have the means to scale high-volume product ranges in order to lower the price-point for consumers.”

The company was formerly known as the meat-free division of Brecks Foods.