Roquette’s €40 million investment in its facility in Vic-sur-Aisne will allow a significant increase of its processing capacity. The expansion represents the second investment in pea protein that Roquette has made this year, after its announcement in January of a €300 million brand new site in Manitoba (Canada). These investments add to the €40 million invested in the Vic-sur-Aisne’s facility in 2015, and they are said to mark a strong acceleration of the group’s pea business line to serve an increasing global demand. Roquette has more than 40 years’ experience in researching and producing plant protein.

The two sites in Canada and France will provide an increased offer of pea protein solutions globally and also in close proximity to North American and European consumers. By 2019, the two facilities will represent a combined pea processing capacity of nearly 250,000 tons per year.

The pea protein market is a high growth market, Roquette says. The demand for plant proteins for human nutrition is strongly increasing, driven by health consciousness, new consumer habits and sustainability challenges. Pea protein is said to offer many advantages to farmers, customers and consumers, as its production is environmentally friendly and it is a great source of protein, with numerous applications in gluten-free foods, vegetarian foods, sports and slimming foods, clinical nutrition and mainstream food.

“We are particularly pleased with the opportunity to expand our pea processing capacity at our Vic-sur-Aisne facility,” said Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of Roquette. “This significant investment constitutes another important step in the deployment of Roquette’s strategy. By increasing our processing capacity in the pea protein segment, we address a large and growing demand for plant-based nutrition solutions and we reinforce our leadership on this segment, proving once again our commitment to delivering sustainable innovative solutions to the Food, Nutrition and Health sectors. With an expected combined capacity of 250,000 tons in France and Canada, Roquette is in a leading position to continue providing our customers with high-quality plant based products all over the world.”