US company Elian to invest over €200 million to expand its plant-based protein facility in Barcelona

Elian Barcelona, a subsidiary of the US company Viserion, will invest more than €200 million to expand its vegetable protein plant in the Port of Barcelona. At a public presentation at the port facilities on Thursday, attended by the Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of Catalonia Trade & Investment, Jaume Baró, Elian presented the second phase of its industrial project, which will enable the company to expand its production capacity by more than 100,000 tons per year to exceed 830,000 tons of processed soybeans.

For its establishment and reinvestment in Catalonia, Elian has received support from Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business competitiveness of the Department of Business and Labour, through a €2.25 million grant from the line of support for High-Impact business projects.

“This new expansion consolidates our commitment to Barcelona as a strategic center of industrial and food innovation for Europe”

Andrés Martín, CEO and founder of Elian Barcelona

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According to Jaume Baró, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of Catalonia Trade & Investment, "Elian's growth in Catalonia strengthens the country's position in a strategic and forward-looking sector such as plant-based protein. Having local production capacity such as that offered by Elian is key to consolidating this sector and attracting new investment in this area."

This new investment will consolidate Catalonia's position as Europe's leading agri-food hub and add to the more than €100 million already invested in acquiring the current plant at the end of 2023, which opened in May 2024. Once the expansion is complete, Elian will surpass its current annual soybean processing capacity of 730,000 tons, reaching over 830,000 tons, and increasing its daily production capacity to 2,800 tons.

Andrés Martín, CEO of Elian, highlighted that "this new expansion consolidates our commitment to Barcelona as a strategic center of industrial and food innovation for Europe. With it, we are taking another step toward our goal of promoting more sustainable, efficient production that is closer to European consumers, as well as expanding options for the local food industry."

Scheduled between late 2025 and the end of 2027, the expansion will boost the production of protein concentrates and texturized products for both human and animal consumption, enabling the manufacture of higher-value-added products for the European agri-food industry. The facilities will integrate advanced processes to improve traceability, sustainability, and competitiveness, reinforcing the company's long-term commitment to innovation and food security in Europe.

One of the main objectives of Elian's growth in Catalonia is to promote greater sustainability through an innovative process for producing clean-label, hydrocarbon-free foods. With this approach, the company aims to become a European and global benchmark in plant-based protein.

The project's expansion has been made possible thanks to a new 48,745-square-meter concession granted by the Barcelona Port Authority for the next 40 years at the Álvarez de la Campa Pier. This will increase local production of ingredients such as textured and concentrated proteins, which are currently imported mainly from the United States, China, and South America.