News

Roquette starts work on largest pea protein facility to date

3 Oct 2017

Following the announcement in January of its investment to build the largest pea protein facility to date, Roquette has completed the first step by launching the construction of its new site in Manitoba, Canada.

Following the announcement in January of its investment to build the largest pea protein facility to date, Roquette has completed the first step by launching the construction of its new site in Manitoba, Canada.

The kick-off of the site’s construction work is said to constitute a major step in the project launched on January 18th, 2017, when Roquette announced an investment of more than $CAN400 million to build the plant.

The large industrial unit will expand Roquette’s pea protein production capacity and will, it says, help address the growing customer demand for plant-based proteins in North America and globally. It will also reinforce Roquette’s presence in the Americas, recently expanded by the acquisition of the pharmaceutical excipients’ supplier Itacel in Brazil.

Pea protein offers many advantages to farmers, customers and consumers, Roquette notes, 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, senior nutrition and clinical nutrition.

In line with the calendar laid out in January, production is expected to begin in 2019. Upon completion, Roquette’s site in Portage la Prairie is expected to employ around 150 people. This site will complement well Roquette’s existing pea production facility in Vic-sur-Aisne (France), where the company recently announced an additional investment of €40 million last June.

“We are thrilled to celebrate our new site’s groundbreaking in Portage-La-Prairie, and to start working with our local partners on the next phases of this project,” said Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of Roquette. “This represents a major step in our development strategy in North America and in the plant protein business, and we are looking forward to offering our pea-protein products from Portage-la-Prairie, at the heart of Manitoba, to customers and consumers in America and worldwide.”