The start-up, specialized in plant-based alternatives to cheese, has announced the creation of its first major production site, in Ivry-sur-Seine, in the suburbs of Paris.

Les Nouveaux Affineurs, which markets a range of plant-based alternatives to cheese, has announced the opening of their first production unit, in Ivry-sur-Seine. On this 1,000 m2, (11,000 ft2) pilot site, unlike any other in Europe, production could reach 10 tons a week thanks to new investments. To finance development, the company raised €2 million from three funds last year.

The facility houses two production lines as well as the company’s R & D department, and headquarters. Its opening should pave the way for creating 10 new jobs by the end of the year.

– Three years of research

Founded in 2017, the start-up’s products are aimed not only at vegans but at the wider public of everyone who’s looking to increase plant-based foods in their diet. The fact is that demand is already high because in France, 11% of 16-to-25 year-olds currently describe themselves as either vegetarian or vegan, and more than one in three people in France describe themselves as “flexitarian.”

According to a Xerfi study, sales of vegan and vegetarian products should were expected to show a 60% rise by 2021.

It will have taken the start-up three years of R&D and the support of renowned scientific institutions, including INRAE5 and AgroParisTech, to develop a method for producing plant-based products that can be enjoyed like cheese. The company has chosen to limit the number of ingredients and not to use preservatives or additives. The base is composed essentially of fair-trade organic cashew nuts and guaranteed GMO-free 100% French soybeans, as well as yeasts, water, sea salt from the Camargue, and a few herbs and spices.

More info on flexitarian products