The US group Viserion expands its presence in the Port of Barcelona with an investment of €200 million

BarcelonaMajor project at the Port of Barcelona. Plant-based protein is gaining popularity, and the industry is keeping pace. The American group Viserion will invest over €200 million to significantly increase production at its factory in the city, which focuses on soybeans, a high-protein legume used in products such as vegetarian burgers. To increase capacity, the plant will double its footprint on the Álvarez de la Campa dock. It will expand to 90,000 square meters, housing production lines and warehouses, as well as offices and laboratories. Construction is about to begin and is expected to continue until the end of 2027.

The agribusiness group arrived in Barcelona at the end of 2023 through the purchase of the Catalan company Elian, founded a few years earlier, and the acquisition of the historic factory that the American company Cargill also had in the port. The new investment expands on the initial outlay of around €100 million made to acquire and adapt the plant. "It's a multi-million euro investment that demonstrates our ability to generate confidence internationally," emphasized the president of the Port of Barcelona, ​​José Alberto Carbonell. With this new commitment from Viserion, a company with a global turnover of €4 billion and currently in a growth phase, the plant will be able to add more than 100,000 tons of annual production and reach a turnover of €500 million. "This expansion consolidates our commitment to Barcelona as a strategic center for innovation," stated Andrés Martín, CEO and founder of Elian. The workforce currently stands at 90 employees, and plans are in place to hire more staff. Soybeans, which arrive at the Elian factory, are harvested from soybeans. When crushed, they become flour and oil used in the food industry, for both human and animal consumption, as well as for biofuels. Once construction is complete, the factory will begin producing concentrated and textured vegetable proteins, currently imported mainly from the United States, China, and South America. According to Martín, the entire process will be powered by green, hydrocarbon-free energy, with a focus on controlling costs so that plant-based alternatives can reach more consumers. Elian works with companies in Catalonia and Aragon, but the investment is intended to facilitate expansion beyond Spain into markets such as France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The Barcelona plant is one of the few of its kind in Europe, with only two others in Serbia and the Netherlands.

Port reorganization

Elian's expansion has involved relocating facilities in the already saturated port of Barcelona. The factory expansion will take place on an adjacent plot of land owned by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB). Currently located there is the BIT Terminal, which handles 80% of the coffee consumed in Spain. The terminal will be moved to another port area, and the opportunity will be taken to modernize the logistics facilities. The freight forwarding company Landtrans will also need to relocate.