Roquette, the global market leader in plant-based ingredients
ROQUETTE
The history of Roquette began in 1933, in the Département of Nord, France. The group has become the global market leader in plant-based ingredients and a major supplier of pharmaceutical excipients. Le groupe peut s’enorgueillir d’être devenu un leader mondial des ingrédients d’origine végétale, un pionnier des protéines végétales et un fournisseur majeur d’excipients pharmaceutiques.
A WORD FROM…
Christophe RUPP-DAHLEM,
Public Affairs Director, Roquette
When and how did the Roquette story begin?
The history of Roquette began in 1933, in the Département of Nord, France. The first industrial unit was established in Lestrem and is today the largest in the group and the No. 1 agri-food site in France. Our mission is to provide the best nature has to offer. The Roquette group has become a global market leader in plant-based ingredients for the food, nutrition and healthcare markets.
What are the milestones and major projects that have marked the growth of the company?
Innovation is part of the DNA of Roquette. Since the 1950s, Roquette has been developing and marketing products such as sorbitol, which has become one of the most important ingredients in sugar-free confectionary, and pharmaceutical excipients.
Roquette has been a pioneer in nutrition with products such as new soluble dietary fibres, new encapsulation agents for pharmaceutical active substances and new plant-based proteins.
Roquette has its historical roots in the Hauts-de-France region. How would you describe your relations with the regional authorities?
Roquette has always maintained close relations with all the administrative and political bodies of the region: Local councils, municipality associations and the region’s départements. Roquette actively participates in the region’s development initiatives.
What are your development plans for the future?
The Hauts-de-France is the region of Roquette’s birth and is central to its development in France: four of Roquette’s French sites totalling more than 3,000 employees are located in the region. The main R&D centre is in Lestrem, with over 250 researchers. The group’s management teams are also located in La Madeleine, in the hyper-centre district of Lille.
The Hauts-de-France region is also the birthplace of our pea protein development strategy, with the unit in Vic-sur-Aisne. Plant-based proteins are a major feature of our current and future strategy as they provide consumers with healthy, safe and sustainable food.
What is the importance of the agri-food industries for the French bioeconomy?
The agri-food sector is one of the mainstays of the French bioeconomy.
We need to adopt a holistic approach to the bioeconomy in France by integrating all the outlets for agricultural resources, especially food, nutrition and well-being solutions.
Which different markets are accessible to agri-food via the bioeconomy?
The main sector will remain food and nutrition, for both people and animals. The sectors of plant-based cosmetics and pharmacy, notably BioPharma, are enjoying very strong growth. Other industrial markets are able to supplement these potential markets.
Roquette is part of the Rev3 third industrial revolution programme being implemented in the Hauts-de-France region. Rev3 is a collective dynamic designed to transform the Hauts-de-France region into one of Europe’s most advanced regions in energy transition and digital technologies.
