Feeding Tomorrow: Making Plant-Based Proteins a Catalyst for Transformation

At Avril, we firmly believe that plants are at the core of the answer to today’s major environmental and food challenges. Plant-based solutions help reduce the carbon footprint of our diets, strengthen protein sovereignty, and open sustainable market opportunities for the farming world. That’s why we’ve chosen to accelerate the integration of plant-based solutions across all our businesses. 

Building French Plant-Protein Supply Chains 

One of our top priorities is to invest in local, traceable, and value-generating supply chains. Through Sofiprotéol, our financing and investment arm, we support regional projects that create tangible value for farmers. In partnership with CIACAM, France’s leading dry pulse company, we are reviving chickpea and lentil production in the southeast of France, in collaboration with local cooperatives. The “Perles d’Anjou” project also received our backing to develop French supply chains for peas, lentils, and fava beans. 

These crops require fewer inputs, thrive in long crop rotations, and boost soil fertility while reinforcing France’s protein sovereignty. They shape a more resilient agricultural model—one that creates value while respecting the land. 

Supporting the Transformation of Livestock Farming 

Plant-based proteins are also a key driver in transforming animal farming toward greater sustainability. They help reduce reliance on imported soy and lower the carbon footprint of animal feed. 

Through MiXscience and Sanders, we are developing animal nutrition solutions based on locally sourced, diversified plant proteins. In 2025, we will launch PROVEA, a new line of protein concentrates made from French-grown sunflower, fava beans, peas, and rapeseed. This innovation will significantly cut the carbon footprint of animal feed while ensuring better income stability for farmers. 

Our approach also includes technical support for farms to drastically reduce the use of antibiotics and other chemical inputs. 

Innovating to Meet New Consumer Expectations 

Innovation is central to the development of plant-based proteins. We deliver plant-based products that combine flavor, nutritional quality, and sustainability. 

In 2024, several of our Group’s subsidiaries demonstrated strong innovation capacity. HARi&CO, our French plant-based food expert that celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, launched a new line of legume-based products that quickly won over consumers. Likewise, Sunbloom, located in Hungary, opened a new production line for sunflower protein concentrates, catering to both food and cosmetic markets. 

We also continued our collaboration with DSM-Firmenich through Olatein, which offers a breakthrough technology for extracting rapeseed proteins for human consumption. 

These innovations are no coincidence. They are driven by an ambitious R&D investment strategy and soon will be further fueled by our first integrated laboratory, Innolab, located in Bruz, at the heart of Avril’s campus near Rennes. This hub of collaboration across our Feed, Food, and Data teams will shape the solutions of today and tomorrow. 

Our purpose—Serving the Earth—finds its full expression here. Feeding the planet sustainably means reconciling agriculture, the environment, and consumption. That’s our daily mission—driven by our expertise, our partners, and the men and women of Avril.