Meeting energy & food supply needs

The transformation of rapeseed and sunflower seeds enables us to simultaneously produce oilseed meal that is rich in plant protein, along with oil that can be used in human nutrition, plant-based chemistry or renewable energies.

Following the USA’s 1973 embargo on soybean exports, the French oilseed protein sector mobilized in an effort to stabilize the country’s food sovereignty. Today, the sector addresses both consumer demand for plant-based oils and meals, as well as livestock sector needs in terms of plant proteins for animal feed and biofuels to support the decarbonization of transport.

Thanks to rapeseed as an energy source, the agricultural sector has provided France with the means to meet its own energy needs : 

In addition to edible oils, Avril also produces plant-based proteins for human consumption. Extracted from rapeseed and sunflower oilseed meals or from legumes, they are used in the composition of food products that can help supplement animal proteins to encourage healthy, plant-based nutrition, addressing consumers’ dietary expectations and environmental objectives.

In 2023 Avril accelerated its development in the market for plant proteins destined for human consumption. Two innovative companies have helped strengthen the Group’s position in this sector, providing new outlets in upstream agriculture: Sunbloom Proteins and HARi&CO.

In April 2023, Sunbloom Proteins, which was founded in 2017 as part of the Munich Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, a prestigious German R&D institution for applied sciences, joined Avril. This meant that the Group became the first industrial operator to produce and sell high-added value ingredients sourced from sunflower protein.

Sunbloom Proteins uses a unique, patented process to produce protein concentrates of high functional, organoleptic, and nutritional quality from sunflower seeds: a non-allergenic and non-GMO European vegetable raw material. As such, Sunbloom Proteins’ products are perfectly positioned to meet consumer expectations and industry demand: the company provides new sources of sustainable protein with applications in a wide range of market segments such as ready meals, plant-based drinks and desserts, baked goods, and even sports nutrition.

As a pioneer in biofuels, Avril and its business unit Saipol have produced a B100-type biofuel named Oleo100, made from 100% French-origin rapeseed. This energy source enables at least a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to diesel. In 2023, this plant-based fuel source’s success was proven in both road and rail transport.

Already a pioneer in road biofuels, Avril and the farming world are also contributing to solutions that will help decarbonize the aviation industry, notably through establishing supply channels for intermediate crops (such as camelina) destined for use in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Initiated by Saipol, which has been performing trials since 2019, this new supply channel has high development potential in a favorable regulatory context.