Rieks Smook

Empowering the Agri-Food Transition Through Innovation and Connection
Rieks Smook is the CEO of Grassa, bringing over 30 years of global experience in food, agri, and sustainable business development. With a passion for building bridges between people, cultures, and industries, Rieks combines deep financial and F&A expertise to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable agri-food system. Known for his energetic “can-do” mentality, he now leads Grassa in scaling the circular solution that redefines the role of grass in our food chain.

Grassa – Unlocking the Power of Grass
Grassa is a pioneering agri-tech company unlocking the full potential of grass | biomass as a sustainable resource for food and feed. Through an innovative biorefinery concept, Grassa extracts high-value proteins from grass, transforming it into an affordable and sustainable alternative to soy. This approach boosts local self-sufficiency in plant-based protein production while significantly reducing the environmental footprint from livestock farming. With a focus on circularity, animal health, and more intelligent land use, Grassa is helping shape a more sustainable and resilient food system—unlocking the full potential of our greenest crop: grass.