Roquette opens a new pea protein production unit in France
Roquette, a manufacturer of plant-based ingredients for food, nutrition, and health markets, has opened a new production unit dedicated to specialty pea protein at its site in Vic-sur-Aisne (Hauts-de-France, France).
Roquette, a manufacturer of plant-based ingredients for food, nutrition, and health markets, has opened a new production unit dedicated to specialty pea protein at its site in Vic-sur-Aisne (Hauts-de-France, France). This expansion is part of the €40 million investment plan announced in 2017 and follows a development program of a similar amount implemented since 2015.
The new unit, which will ship its first production in June 2018, currently has 130 employees and works with a number of local partners. This investment is part of the company’s drive to develop a high quality and increasingly environmentally friendly pea line. Roquette is committed to sustainable and responsible pea production that encourages the adoption of best farming practices and modern technologies.
To meet the growing demand for pea protein, Roquette will rely on the production facility in France and an additional one in North America (Portage-La-Prairie, Canada), currently under construction. By 2020, both plants will have a combined pea processing capacity of close to 250,000 tons per year.
“The inauguration of this new dedicated unit for specialty pea proteins represents a major step forward in the implementation of the Roquette Group’s strategy in plant-based proteins,” said Pascal Leroy, vice president of Roquette’s pea and new protein business. “By offering new sustainable nutritional and functional solutions, we are extending our global leadership in the specialty plant-based protein market. We are also demonstrating our goal of offering products increasingly tailored to demand in food, nutrition, and health markets.”