Elian Barcelona, a subsidiary of the US-based company Viserion, laid the first stone on Monday for the expansion of its plant-based protein facility at the Port of Barcelona. In this way, the company is launching the second phase of its industrial project, which, with an investment exceeding €200 million, will increase production capacity by more than 100,000 tonnes per year, surpassing 830,000 tonnes of processed soybeans. The event, held at the facilities located at the Álvarez de la Campa Wharf, was attended by the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau; the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu; Elian’s founder and CEO, Andreu Martín; and the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell.
For its establishment and reinvestment in Catalonia, Elian has received support from ACCIÓ, the agency for business growth under the Department of Business and Labour, through a €2.25 million grant from the programme supporting high-impact business projects.
Elian’s new investment will help consolidate Catalonia as Europe’s leading agri-food hub. This investment adds to the more than €100 million already allocated to the acquisition of the current plant at the end of 2023, which was inaugurated in May 2024. Once the expansion is completed, Elian will increase its current soybean processing capacity from 770,000 tonnes per year to more than 870,000 tonnes, raising its daily production capacity to 2,800 tonnes.
According to the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, “at a time when the rest of the world is closing itself off, we are opening up. And we do so by supporting projects such as Elian’s, which are committed to sustainability, engagement with the primary sector and which will consolidate Barcelona as one of the most important agri-food hubs in southern Europe. We are a country that is alive, looking to the future and with strong investment projects.”
In turn, Elian’s founder and CEO, Andreu Martín, stressed that “the laying of this first stone represents much 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.”
According to the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, “this new Elian plant represents a qualitative step forward for the Port of Barcelona because it combines logistics and industry to achieve greater efficiency and a lower environmental impact. This investment reinforces our commitment to a more sustainable industrial model capable of generating added value for the entire food supply chain, turning the Port of Barcelona into a key player in the new plant-protein-based food sector.”
Thanks to this expansion, which is scheduled to come into operation in early 2028, Elian will increase the production of protein concentrates and texturised proteins for both human and animal consumption, enabling the manufacture of higher value-added products for the European agri-food industry. In addition, the expansion will involve the integration of advanced processes to improve traceability, sustainability and competitiveness of the final product.
One of the main focuses of the expansion of Elian’s facilities in Catalonia will be to promote greater sustainability through an innovative process for producing “clean-label” foods, free from hydrocarbons, with which the company aims to become a benchmark in Europe and worldwide.
The expansion of Elian’s presence in Catalonia has been made possible thanks to a new 48,745-square-metre concession granted by the Port Authority of Barcelona for the next 40 years at the Álvarez de la Campa Wharf of the Port of Barcelona. In this way, Catalonia will increase its local production capacity of ingredients such as texturised and concentrated proteins, which are currently imported mainly from the United States, China and South America
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