Elian secures €40M to scale EU plant protein production and supply resilience

Agribusiness company Elian has secured €40 million (~US$46 million) in investment to expand its plant-based protein production project in Spain. The move supports the growth of its Port of Barcelona facility and aims to strengthen Europe’s supply of locally produced protein derivatives for human food and animal feed.

The expansion forms part of a more than €300 million (~US$344.5 million) investment in Elian’s plant-based protein production facility at the Port of Barcelona. Once completed in early 2028, the site will add more than 100,000 tons of annual production capacity for protein derivatives, alongside its existing operations.

Richard Petro, Elian’s commercial director, tells Food Ingredients First that the company’s expanded site will produce high-value Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC), texturized soy protein concentrates (TSPC), and food-grade lecithin, among other products.

“Our concentrates will offer a high protein content, excellent digestibility, and strong nutritional and functional performance across a range of applications.”

The Spanish Development Financing Company (COFIDES) has facilitated the funds and is now a minority shareholder through the Co-investment Fund (FOCO). Elian plans to use the cash injection to consolidate its plant protein ingredient hub project and support its future growth.

Diversifying protein applications

At the Barcelona site, Elian is targeting what Petro describes as “high-value applications” across both human nutrition and specialized animal nutrition.

“Within food, this includes plant-based products, hybrid meat applications, bakery, snacks, and other formulations where manufacturers are looking for high-quality protein ingredients with strong nutritional and functional performance.”

Richard Petro, Elian’s commercial director.He also points to Elian’s focus on significant opportunities in pet food and in specialized, high-value feed applications, particularly aquaculture, including salmon.

Across these sectors, the company observes the strongest demand coming from F&B manufacturers that are placing increasing emphasis on “sustainability, traceability, security of supply, and reducing the carbon footprint associated with their raw materials.”

Supporting transparent and traceable ingredients

Elian Barcelona, a subsidiary of Viserion International, acquired the soybean crushing facility at the Port of Barcelona from Cargill in 2023. Through its Barcelona plant, the company plans to strengthen the European protein supply resilience by reducing reliance on imported ingredients, while also making the European market “more resilient to potential disruptions in global supply chains.”

Elian was founded in 2021 and develops plant-based protein infrastructure in Europe. The soybean processor combines local processing capabilities with access to global raw material networks and expertise in grains and feed ingredients. Its product portfolio includes soy flour, soybean oil, soy protein concentrate, and soy lecithin, among others.

The company says it is driving the Barcelona plant’s growth by promoting non-GMO soybean cultivation in Catalonia and Aragon, targeting 3,000 hectares by 2026.

The entire value chain will be supported by a growing European soybean sourcing base, processed at Elian’s Barcelona facility, and manufactured using a “completely hexane-free process,” Petro tells us.

“We are building an integrated system that connects farmers, soybean origination, processing, and customers within a more transparent and traceable European value chain. This gives customers greater visibility over where their raw materials come from, how they are processed, and how they move through the supply chain.”

Building resilient plant protein supply chains

Elian’s protein production expansion comes amid the EU’s increased focus on the need to strengthen protein supply chains through its Action Plan for the resilience, strategic autonomy, and sustainability of protein.

Soybean cultivation and processing are key parts of Elian’s European protein strategy.The region currently imports nearly 94% of the soy used for animal feed — pointing toward Europe’s reliance on external supplies as what Elian describes as a “high vulnerability.” To strengthen resilience, the EU aims to increase domestic oilseed and protein crop production for feed from 25.8% in 2025 to 35% by 2035.

However, COFIDES maintains that meeting this challenge will need expansion of cultivation, building processing capacity, and strengthening traceable local supply chains.

Petro says that through high-value soy protein production in Europe and developing a more integrated supply chain from farmer through to customer, Elian can offer “greater transparency, traceability, and proximity throughout the value chain.”

“This supports the sustainability priorities of the European market while helping reduce dependence on long-distance, intercontinental supply chains,” he concludes.

In July, the EU’s new Protein Plan was criticized by plant-based organizations for prioritizing animal feed over plant-based foods. They argued that the move reinforces livestock production instead of reducing Europe’s dependence on feed-intensive farming.

Meanwhile, protein diversification continues to grow globally, with consumers increasingly seeking higher-protein foods and manufacturers exploring a wider range of protein sources.

Innova Market Insights identified “Powerhouse Protein” as the top global F&B trend for 2026, with nearly 60% of consumers worldwide actively trying to add more protein to their diets.