WARCOING, BELGIUM – Cosucra is investing $210 million into a seven-year project designed to reduce the overall carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 across its pea protein, fiber, starch and chicory root fiber operations. The Warcoing-based company sources yellow peas and chicory root raw materials from farmers in Belgium and France to manufacture its Fibruline/Fibrulose  chicory root fiber and Pisane C9 pea protein ingredients.

To fund its $210 million capital expenditure investment plan, Cosucra completed a $49 million equity capital raise from three long-term food and agronomics investors in June.

“We are delighted that such professional investors as Sofiprotéol, Wallonie Entreprendre and SFPIM are joining us to transform tomorrow’s food while contributing to the necessary energy transition,” said Eric Bosly, chief executive officer of Cosucra.

Cosucra will work with farmers to improve carbon retention in the soil. No fertilizer is needed in pea crops, which add nitrogen into the soil. Chicory root may be grown through no-till farming practices. Cosucra plans to recycle residuals from the byproducts from its pea and chicory root plants crops and then upcycle the material into biogas, which then will be transformed into renewable electricity to minimize its usage of steam. This energy transformation will increase its energy independence in Europe and contribute to achieving its corporate ESG objective of 50% reduction in carbon footprint by 2030.

Cosucra, Inc., the North American subsidiary with headquarters in Chicago, began to integrate ingredient solutions from both pea and chicory root fiber plants during 2022 for its customer base.

Plant-based milk alternatives tend to have lower protein content than conventional milk and have sensory challenges attaining a dairy-like texture, said Frank Truong, general manager of Cosucra, Inc. Incorporating Fibruline chicory root fiber and Pisane pea into creamy oat-based milk alternatives has been shown to achieve 6 grams of protein per serving and a more dairy-like texture, he said.