from the American embargo to the creation of Sofiprotéol

To understand the reasons behind the creation of Sofiprotéol, the original name for Avril, we need to go back to 1962. In this year, a trade agreement exempted imports of soybeans and soybean meal from customs duties in Europe, leading to the massive arrival of American soybean in France.

The situation became tense in 1973: due to an exceptional drought, the US decreed an embargo on its soybean exports. This caused prices to rocket and European farmers, whose livestock were heavy consumers of plant proteins, became aware of their dependence.

France began to react in 1974. Jean-Claude Sabin, who would later become the CEO of Sofiprotéol, launched the Protein Plan with support from the government. The aim was to set up a genuine vegetable oil and protein sector in France to reduce dependence on imports. The Plan encouraged increases in the production of oils and proteins and developed research in the sector.

Set up as a grain brokerage firm in 1948, the CNTA (National Centre for Agricultural Techniques) established itself as a key participant in the Protein Plan. It made acquisitions and became involved both upstream (seeds) and downstream (production of oilseed meal and unrefined oils) to become the leading industrial group in the sector.

At the same time, two interprofessional organizations were created: the French Interprofessional Union for Protein-rich Plants (UNIP) and the French Interprofessional Organization for Oilseeds and Oils Fruits (ONIDOL). Their members included professionals working in the production, marketing, processing and use of oilseed supplies.

At the turn of the 80s, the CNTA was in serious trouble. Severely affected by international market changes, it had to deal with the irregular performance of its industrial units and a tragic accident at one of its plants, which led it to file for bankruptcy in 1983. As it had absorbed the majority of oilseed production, the interprofessional organizations decided to create a financial fund to rectify the situation: Sofiprotéol was born.

Directed by Jean-Claude Sabin and Philippe Tillous-Borde, Sofiprotéol’s shareholders included numerous actors from the farming world, which were also its economic partners. The Group’s industrial activities, which were non-transferable and located at the heart of production areas, thus participated in the sustainable growth of the French economy.