Lesaffre Ibérica has announced that the first phase of construction work on its new plant in Valladolid, which began last autumn, will be completed this summer. According to Diario de León, an estimated 20 million has been invested in the new facilities, which will be used for the cultivation of selenium-enriched yeast for animal feed.

Output from the plant will be destined for markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where demand for these products is growing. A second investment phase is already planned for 2023, with the aim of increasing the capacity of this line. Luis Ronda Zuloaga, CEO of Lesaffre Ibérica, announced that the company hopes to start trading in September, as it has already committed to orders with its customers in the above markets.

Skilled jobs
The new plant with be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and qualified staff will be required. Luis Ronda explained, “It hasn’t been easy to bring this project to Valladolid, we've had to compete hard with other countries”. So, what led to this choice? “Thanks to good results in recent years and the excellent team of professionals we have in Spain, we convinced investors that Valladolid was the best option for the Lesaffre group's global strategy”, he said.

Another factor in favour of Valladolid was Spain’s position in livestock production, a point at which Ronda takes the opportunity to recall the support received from public authorities, “We’d like to thank Valladolid City Council and the Regional Government of Castile-León for their help in overcoming the many challenges we faced at the start of the project”.

The innovative product that will roll off its production lines is selenium-enriched yeast from organic sources. Lesaffre explained that feed containing this product boosts the animals' immune and reproductive systems, stimulating antioxidant defences and improving production rates. In this respect, the use of these products favours sustainable livestock production, he added.

Fermentation processes
The French company specialises in the cultivation of yeasts and bacteria related to fermentation processes. It uses these ingredients to manufacture and market products for baking, animal feed, fertilisers, plant health, human nutrition, wine-making, brewing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and the production of alcohol and bioethanol.

Present in Spain for more than 30 years, and with headquarters in Valladolid, the subsidiary has two other plants at its sites in the city. One is dedicated to the cultivation of yeast for baking, and the other to the production of sourdough. Both supply markets in Spain, Portugal, Africa and the Middle East. Lesaffre Ibérica has another centre in Barcelona which produces bread improvers and mixes.

^{Photo: Lesaffre}