Elian is expanding soyabean processing capacity at its plant at the Port of Barcelona, Spain. Image source: Pixabay
Spanish agribusiness Elian, a subsidiary of the Viserion Group, is expanding capacity at its soyabean processing plant at the Port of Barcelona, Spain, with a €200M (US$232.6M) investment, World Grain wrote.
The project, which would increase soyabean processing at the facility by 100,000 tonnes/year to 830,000 tonnes (2,800 tonnes/day), continued a plan that began in 2023 with the company’s acquisition of the plant from global agribusiness giant Cargill, the 28 October report said.
Work was expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 and be completed at the end of 2027.
The project would occupy an area of about 5ha and would have a concession signed with the Port of Barcelona for 40 years, World Grain wrote.
Elian said the project responded to increasing demand in the sector for local production of ingredients such as textured and concentrated proteins that were currently mainly imported from the USA, China or South America.
“This new expansion consolidates our presence in Barcelona as a strategic centre of industrial and food innovation for Europe,” Andrés Martín, founder and CEO of Elian, was quoted as saying.
“With it, we take another step toward our goal of promoting more sustainable, efficient and consumer-friendly production for European consumers, while also expanding options for the local food industry.”
Founded in Barcelona in 2021, Elian supplies raw materials derived from soya for the meat industry and food sector.
Viserion International is a global agricultural merchant based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. It produces and markets cereals and other ingredients and byproducts for spices internationally.