Avril’s international development, a lever in service of La Ferme France

19.03.26

Expanding Avril internationally means sustainably strengthening French agriculture.

Created over 40 years ago under a unique model, Avril reinvests all its profits into the French vegetable oils and plant protein sector, as well as into its production facilities. Its international development follows a value chain-building approach, designed to support and complement its activities in France, with the aim of strengthening “Ferme France” over the long term.

In 2024, 43% of Avril’s revenue was generated outside France. This dynamic is fully embraced. It provides the Group with the means to invest, innovate, and secure sustainable outlets for French farmers. In 2024, Avril invested €500 million, nearly two-thirds of which was in France, serving the country’s food, energy, and industrial sovereignty.

International expansion and strong French roots: a coherent and responsible strategy

Avril’s international development is neither at the expense of La Ferme France nor in contradiction with its agricultural commitments. On the contrary, its international activities make it possible to:

Strengthen its industrial competitiveness in highly competitive global markets, in the face of powerful international players.
Share and promote its expertise in markets whose dynamics differ from the French market alone.
Diversify the Group’s growth drivers.
Reinvest in the development of French value chains.

Livestock solutions: a presence serving global challenges

Beyond the production of compound feed in France through Sanders, Avril leverages its expertise in animal nutrition in France and internationally in support of local livestock value chains, through Mixscience. From France, the Group exports premixes and provides services such as formulation advice and nutritional development to geographical areas with strong growth potential, where demand for animal proteins is rapidly increasing: Asia, Africa, and South America.

This approach is reflected in Brazil, through the presence since 2015 of Salus, a subsidiary specializing in nutritional premixes for livestock, backed by Mixscience. Salus’ activity enables the exchange of expertise between different geographies facing shared long-term environmental challenges. In 2024, Salus accounted for less than 0.5% of the Group’s revenue.

Key facts about Salus:

Salus does not raise animals and does not manufacture complete feed.
Its solutions (premixes) represent around 1% of livestock feed formulations.
It actively works on the reduction of medication in livestock farming, the reduction of antibiotic use, and the decrease of methane emissions.

These are global challenges at the heart of agricultural, health, and climate transitions, independent of any international trade logic.

A targeted new industrial investment in Brazil in 2024

Avril’s latest acquisition in Brazil in the field of renewable chemistry clearly illustrates its value-chain-building model, deployed wherever the Group operates. In October 2024, Avril acquired, through its subsidiary Oleon, a Brazilian family-owned company specializing in castor oil production (Azevedo, now Oleon do Brazil).

This establishment is based on control of the entire value chain, from seed sourcing to the marketing of oils and derivative products to mainly Brazilian customers, and on an integrated value chain with the local agricultural upstream sector.

Key facts:

Castor does not grow in France or in Europe.
Global production is currently largely dominated by India.
Castor oil is a strategic renewable ingredient for certain high value-added industrial applications.

This investment primarily targets the growing Brazilian market and responds to the increasing global demand for bio-based ingredients and specialty products. It also enables Oleon, a leading player in renewable chemistry derived from vegetable oils and fats, to:

Secure its supply chains,
Strengthen its competitive position on a global scale by diversifying its offering and markets,
Support its industrial customers in their transition toward more sustainable solutions.

This is a strategic industrial choice, fully aligned with Avril’s trajectory and a concrete demonstration of its model, serving the development of strong and responsible local agricultural value chains.

Creating value internationally to invest more effectively in France

Avril’s international strategy is part of a value-chain-building dynamic, faithful to the model that underpins its strength in France. The Group also deploys and adapts this approach in the geographies where it operates, such as Morocco and Romania. The objective is to seek growth where it exists, in order to sustainably strengthen French value chains.

Created by and for farmers, Avril continues to pursue its mission in service of La Ferme France and to structure ever-stronger French value chains. In certain markets, international development has now become essential to safeguarding the competitiveness of national groups in the face of powerful global competitors. By engaging in these markets, Avril secures and sustains its national operations, in support of a more competitive and more sustainable French agriculture.