The Avril Group, the industrial and financial player in the oil and protein sectors, is adopting new governance and organization to ensure its long-term independence and strengthen the presence of the agricultural world at the heart of its growth strategy.
The group's transition to a limited partnership by shares (SCA) with a managing partner company allows a clearer distinction between its industrial activities and those of the financing and development company, which retains the name Sofiprotéol. This evolution strengthens the group and enhances its visibility, providing better access to new financing to accelerate its development.
This historic step in the group's development is accompanied by a new name and a new visual identity, through which the Avril Group reaffirms the main pillars of its growth strategy to prepare for the future and respond effectively to the challenges of the oil and protein sectors in France and internationally.
> Evolution of the Group's Legal and Financial Structure to a Limited Partnership by Shares (SCA) with a Managing Partner
The limited partnership by shares consists of two categories of partners. The "limited" partners include the FIDOP and the FOP, the group's historical shareholders, as well as the Avril Foundation, which is recognized as a public utility and is expected to be established soon. They exercise their control through a supervisory board composed of eight members representing the interprofessional organizations of ONIDOL and UNIP, the FOP, the Avril Foundation, and the Avril Group's staff. The supervisory board is chaired by Jacques Siret, who is also the president of ONIDOL.
Alongside the "limited" partners, Avril Gestion acts as the "general" partner. Its board of directors appoints the managing director of the SCA and decides on the group's strategic and financial orientations. The board consists of nine members, including:
- Four members from FOP: Xavier Beulin, President of Sofiprotéol; Arnaud Rousseau, Vice-President of FOP; Gérard Tubéry, President of FOP; and Bernard de Verneuil, President of CETIOM.
- Three qualified personalities: Jean-Pierre Denis, President of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne; Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Alp Services and President of SIGFOX; and Pierre Pringuet, Managing Director of Pernod Ricard.
- Two former executives or corporate officers of the group: Patrice Gollier, former Managing Director of InVivo, and Alain Mirot, former Chief Administrative and Financial Officer of the Sofiprotéol Group.
Xavier Beulin, President of Sofiprotéol, chairs the general partnership Avril Gestion.
Jean-Philippe Puig, Managing Director of Sofiprotéol, was appointed by the board of directors to serve as the managing director of SCA Avril.
The group's new organization gives it increased financial capacity and visibility, providing better access to capital markets to continue its development.
"In just over 30 years, Sofiprotéol has created a unique business model, with stable ownership rooted in the agricultural world and a governance structure that systematically reinvests its profits into its development," said Jean-Philippe Puig, Managing Director of SCA Avril. "Growth has been strong in recent years, and we are betting on its acceleration. That is why the group is now adopting governance and an organization capable of meeting its ambitions while continuing one of its founding principles: reinvesting the majority of dividends into the sectors."
> Distinction Between the Group's Industrial and Financial Activities
The Avril Group's industrial activities are divided between the Plant and Animal divisions:
The Plant division of Avril is structured around four business areas, grouping the activities of its subsidiaries based on their main sectors: oilseed processing (the primary industrial activity of Avril's Plant division); human food (notably through strong brands such as Lesieur, Puget, Cristal, and Al Horra in Morocco, as well as Bunica in Romania); renewable energies (with the biodiesel brand Diester®); and renewable chemistry (through molecules derived from the processing of vegetable oils and fats, marketed for the production of various everyday products).
The Animal division of Avril operates throughout the livestock sectors. Its activities are organized around three main areas: animal nutrition and production (with the Sanders brand); human food, through the processing, preparation, and marketing of animal products (eggs and egg products with the Matines brand, as well as pork and poultry); and biosafety and nutritional specialties (with the experimental farm at Sourches in Sarthe, the leading private European research center in animal nutrition and management).
The financial activities are concentrated around Sofiprotéol, the Avril Group's financing and development company, primarily dedicated to the oil and protein sectors. It supports more than a hundred companies in the sector, representing 80,000 jobs, and fosters the creation of businesses, development, and innovation through loans and minority equity investments. Its main shareholders, alongside the SCA, include the interprofessional organizations of UNIP and ONIDOL, as well as the financial and professional partners of the Avril Group (Crédit Agricole, Natixis, Unigrains, and agricultural professional organizations).
The group's new governance, new organization, and new identity allow it to accelerate its growth and continue fulfilling its mission of developing the oil and protein sectors, both in France and internationally.
The Avril Group at a Glance:
- €7 billion in turnover in 2013
- 8,200 employees spread across 22 countries
- No. 1 in oilseed crushing in France, one of the leaders in Europe
- No. 1 in table oil production in France, Morocco, and Romania
- No. 1 in biodiesel production from oilseeds in Europe
- No. 1 in animal nutrition in France
- No. 1 in egg production in France
- No. 1 in oleochemistry in Europe