US company Elian lays foundation stone for Barcelona plant-based protein expansion

Elian Barcelona, a subsidiary of the US-based company Viserion, laid the foundation stone for the expansion of its plant-based protein facility at the Port of Barcelona. With this milestone, the company begins the second phase of its industrial project, which, with an investment of more than €200 million, will increase production capacity by over 100,000 tonnes per year, exceeding 830,000 tonnes of processed soybeans.

The event, held at the facilities located at Moll Álvarez de la Campa, was attended by the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau; the Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, Jaume Baró; the Founder and CEO of Elian, Andreu Martín; and the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell.

During the event, Andreu Martín, founder and CEO of Elian, highlighted the strategic importance of the project: “The laying of this foundation stone represents far more than an industrial expansion. It is a firm commitment to Barcelona, to the Port, and to the future of food in Europe. We are committed to local, sustainable, and competitive production that strengthens food sovereignty and generates long-term value.”

For this process of setting up and reinvestment in Catalonia, Elian received support from ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business growth under the Ministry for Business and Labour, thanks to a €2.25 million grant from the high-impact business projects support line.

“The laying of this foundation stone represents far more than an industrial expansion. It is a firm commitment to Barcelona, to the Port, and to the future of food in Europe”

Andreu Martín, Founder and CEO of Elian

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This new investment by Elian will help consolidate Catalonia as Europe’s leading agri-food hub. It adds to the more than €100 million already invested in the purchase of the current facility at the end of 2023, inaugurated in May 2024. Once the expansion is completed, Elian will increase its current annual soybean processing capacity from 770,000 tonnes to over 870,000, meaning daily production capacity will rise to 2,800 tonnes.

José Alberto Carbonell, President of the Port of Barcelona, emphasized the added value of the investment for the port ecosystem and its sustainability goals: “This new Elian facility represents a qualitative step forward for the Port of Barcelona, as it combines logistics and industry to generate greater efficiency and lower environmental impact. This investment reinforces our commitment to a more sustainable industrial model capable of generating added value across the entire food supply chain, positioning the Port of Barcelona as a key player in the new plant-protein-based food ecosystem.”

Thanks to this expansion, expected to come into operation in early 2028, Elian will increase its production of protein concentrates and texturized proteins for both human and animal consumption, enabling the development of higher value-added products for the European agri-food industry. Furthermore, the expansion will involve the integration of advanced processes to improve traceability, sustainability, and the competitiveness of the final product.

Specifically, one of the main focuses of the expansion of Elian’s facilities in Catalonia will be to boost sustainability via an innovative process for the production of clean-label foods, free from hydrocarbons. With this approach, the company aims to become a benchmark in Europe and worldwide.

The expansion of Elian’s presence in Catalonia has been made possible by a new concession of 48,745 square meters granted by the Port Authority of Barcelona for the next 40 years at the Álvarez de la Campa Wharf at the Port of Barcelona. As a result, Catalonia will increase its local production capacity of ingredients such as texturized and concentrated proteins, which are currently mostly imported from the United States, China, or South America.