Activity Report Avril Group 2017

INTRODUCTION
P.2 - Profile
P.4 - A group with a sectoral structure
P. 6 - Interview with Jean-Philippe Puig
P. 9 - Interview with Arnaud Rousseau
P. 10 - Governance
P. 14 - Deciphering the year
2017 – THE CORE
P. 18 - Stakes, challenges and opportunities
P. 20 - Staying on course and reaffirming
our ambitions
P. 22 - A strong and competitive group
in its markets that listens to customers
P. 26 - A resolutely international group
set to conquer new markets
P. 30 - Innovation to drive the creation
of sustainable value
P. 34 - People committed to serving
a federative company project
A REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
Investments
P. 40 - Sofiprotéol
Industrial activities
P. 46 - Oilseeds Processing
P. 52 - Oils & Condiments
P. 60 - Avril Specialties
P. 66 - Animal Nutrition & Processing
P. 74 - Avril Development
P. 78 – Financial information
CONTENTS

Industrial sites Commercial offices
AVRIL,
A GROUP WITH
A SECTORAL
STRUCTURE,
FROM GRAIN TO
THE PROCESSED
PRODUCT
Avril was built and operates according to
an original model: a sectoral organization
where each activity creates value
for all links in the chain. Starting from grain
and its two inseparable co-products –
oil and protein – Avril has developed
an entire sector of activities in plants
and animals which complement each other
and work in synergy, from upstream
to downstream.
89sites in the world
of which:
30sites in oilseed
sectors
59
sites in animal
sectors
ONE THIRD OF TURNOVER ACHIEVED
INTERNATIONALLY IN 2017
STRONG TERRITORIAL
ROOTS IN FRANCE
15
sites in oilseed
sectors
47
sites in animal
sectors
Réunion
Island
€ 6.2 Bnturnover in 2017
21 countries
7,600employees
AVRIL,
A COLLECTIVE
DYNAMIC
Avril, a collective dynamic
Set up in 1983 at the initiative of farmers in order to
assure long-term markets for the production in France
of plants rich in oils (rapeseed, sunflower, olive,
soybean, etc.) and proteins (pea, field bean, lupin, etc.),
in 35 years Avril has become a major industrial and
finance group. It is now present in France and
internationally in sectors as diverse as human foods,
animal nutrition and expertise, renewable energies and
chemistry, and has built its growth on a portfolio of
strong brands such as Sanders, Lesieur, Puget, Matines,
Diester®
, Bunica, Taous, etc.
To fulfil its mission, the Group draws strength from its
two complementary activities: industrial – organized in
five business lines – and investment, which it exercises
through Sofiprotéol, its finance and development
company.
Avril is a unique group characterized by
well-established collective share ownership, strong
farming and regional roots and the systematic
reinvestment of all profits in the growth of national
sectors wherever it operates.
OUR MISSION
Creating sustainable value in the oils
and proteins sectors, thus contributing to better
food for humans and preservation of the planet.
62sites in France
of which:
AvrilGroup:profile AVRIL — Activity report 2017
2. 3.

Crushing
Food
Collection of oilseed
and protein grains
Genetics and animal
health, other inputs
and services
Renewable
energies
Involvement of Sofiprotéol,
finance and development company
Oleochemicals
Milk, meat
Poultry
Food
Livestock farmers
Eggs, pork
Proteochem®
Seeds,
biotechnology,
other inputs and
services
100,000
agricultural
producers
Biosecurity
Animal
nutrition

Lesieur France, margins were squeezed
between pressure from major distributors and
a marked rise in raw material prices. In parallel,
Matines pursued changes to some of its
production towards the alternative egg market
and should see a return to growth in 2019.
It was our biodiesel sector that was the most
severely impacted last year, and this is
continuing in 2018. The culprit was the removal
of antidumping duties on Argentine biodiesel
made using soybean oil, which arrives on the
European market at the same price as raw
rapeseed oil. We issued alerts as to the
disastrous consequences for the sector,
but 2018 is starting with an alignment of the
European decision on palm oil-based biodiesel
from Indonesia. We have been heard, but
responses in the face of this unfair competition
have still not materialized. This situation has
severely damaged our ratios and had a negative
impact on our net results, but the Group’s
solidity has not been called into question.
What is the impact of this situation
on your strategic decisions?
J.-P. Puig: This episode has confirmed the vital
necessity to pursue changes to the structure of
our activities and business model. Some
activities are starting to rise to the top.
Oleochemicals over-performed in 2017. Its
results were linked to the good health of the
global economy, to the gains in productivity
achieved and to the pertinence of a strategy
focused on customers and specialties. The pig
branch is another example of success, with the
AVF joint enterprise having had beneficial
effects throughout the sector.
There were many other reasons for satisfaction
that demonstrated the sustainability and
pertinence of the Avril model. For example,
Sofiprotéol’s €100 million increase in capital
was an excellent vote of confidence and
provided us with new investment capacities
in different agri-food and agribusiness sectors.
I would also like to mention the acquisition of
Indusalim in Morocco by Lesieur Cristal, thanks
to which Avril is taking a stake in a new
international business, that of margarine.
How is consolidation of the Group
progressing?
J.-P. Puig: It is almost complete. Following a
complicated but successful process, Lesieur
has now switched to our integrated computer
system so that a single system is now
operational throughout the Group. Nearly 200
people work in our shared service centers.
And we are also transforming our working
methods. Digitization is developing and has
made a noteworthy difference to the services
we can propose to our customers via the
FeedMarket.fr platform for the online sale of
oilseed meals, and the Canopée tool is able to
exploit data from livestock farms.
We have made important progress, up to and
including our Executive Committee, which is
now renewed, tighter knit, younger and
feminized.
PURSUING OUR
TRANSFORMATION TO
SUCCESSFULLY FULFIL
OUR MISSION
The early part of 2018 was marked by the
tragic accident that occurred at the Saipol
site in Dieppe. What lessons have you drawn
from this?
Jean-Philippe Puig: An explosion followed by
a fire caused the death of two people working
for one of our subcontractors. This tragedy
took place after a year (2017) that had been
relatively positive in terms of safety results,
because our teams achieved their goal of
reducing the accident rate by 20% and at some
sites even surpassed 2,000 days without any
accidents. The tragedy reminded us that
safety can never be taken for granted in an
industrial setting, and reinforced our
commitment to continue improving our results
and striving towards a zero accident rate.
What is your assessment of 2017?
J.-P. Puig: At an economic level, the year was
one of contrasts. Excellent results were
achieved in some activities such as
oleochemicals, the pig branch, Sofiprotéol,
Sopral and Terrial (which tripled its profits), but
there were some more difficult situations: at
In a year that was severely impacted by difficulties in its
biodiesel sector, Avril accelerated the transformation of its
business model to in order to restore an ability to achieve
its aims and pursue its plan to serve the agricultural,
agri-food and agribusiness sectors. An analysis by
Jean-Philippe Puig, Avril’s CEO
JEAN-PHILIPPE PUIG
CEO of Avril
The year was
one of contrasts.
Excellent results
were achieved in
some activities such
as oleochemicals,
the pig branch,
Sofiprotéol, Sopral
and Terrial. ”
AVRIL — Activity report 2017AVRIL — Activity report 2017
7.6.
Introduction
Introduction

And Avril’s raison d'être?
J.-P. Puig: Our mission has remained
unchanged. We are there to offer long-term
and sustainable markets for different
agricultural sectors and will continue to
support our initial activity, that of grain
crushing and esterification. In 2018, we shall be
seeing the results of European arbitration
regarding the regulations on renewable
energies for 2020 to 2030 – including biofuels
– and these will have important effects – one
way or another – on our activities.
Particular efforts were made in 2017 to
promote Diester®
, a biodiesel Made in France
using French raw materials; this campaign was
well received and won a major advertising
award. We are now working on major initiatives
to drive the business model for first-stage
processing towards a strategy of specialty
biofuels such as B100, a product made with
100% French rapeseed for use by captive fleets.
What are your priorities for 2018?
J.-P. Puig: We must move more rapidly, simplify
our decision-making processes and develop
closer ties with our customers. The three key
words for 2018 are safety, customers and cash.
Safety because it is our absolute priority and a
measure of managerial performance.
Customers because improvements are still
necessary to ensure that they are central to all
our activities. In all areas, we must think in
terms of pull rather than push. This is a cultural
revolution for a Group such as Avril.
Cash and performance will restore our ability
to achieve our ambitions, hampered at present
by the harsh reality of Group profitability.
I would like our customers to see an immediate
difference – a Group connected to the farming
world that thinks for the medium and long term
and is socially responsible – so that they will
immediately attach “quality – service –
product” to our name.
How is Avril positioned in the talent market?
J.-P. Puig: Thanks to our model, we attract
some very good candidates because of the
originality and consistency of its plan. People
today are looking for a purpose and we can give
it to them. It is up to us to cultivate this
common culture, which is essential to the
Group’s growth and transformation. That is
what we are trying to do through our in-house
university, Avril Academy, and our intranet
which is now accessible to 80% of our
employees.
The French National Food Conference was
one of the highlights of 2017. Will it change
the parameters?
J.-P. Puig: We welcome a certain number of
advances and hope that they will be
transformed into law. We salute the strategy,
but the important thing will be to convert the
goal. How might these results be reflected by
facts and in the law? We shall be paying
particular attention to the details.
Our negotiations with major distributors at
the end of last year were harder than ever,
despite the Good Conduct Charter signed
during the Conference. Next year, it is the
new law that will apply.
We are there
to offer long-term
and sustainable
markets for
different agricultural
sectors. ”
AVRIL’S MODEL
IS EXTREMELY MODERN
Arnaud Rousseau, Chairman of Avril Gestion,
shares 2017 highlights
What is your analysis of 2017?
Arnaud Rousseau: It was a difficult year for us.
After the tragic loss of Xavier Beulin and the
departure of two FOP directors, we had to
almost entirely rebuild the agricultural
governance of Avril Gestion in an economic
context dominated by the biodiesel issue.
But continuity is now assured.
In 2017, biofuels were a major concern to us.
They were the original link between the Group
and the farming world, and together we shall
be working to find solutions to deal with this
crisis, not for the first time.
What challenges does Avril face today?
A. R.: Faced with structural difficulties in
agriculture, it is vital to redefine a strong
collective project based on our regional roots
but also including an export and competitive
vision. In this respect, the French President
elected in 2017 is driving innovative plans for
agriculture, and the National Food Conference
highlighted the expectations of the French:
higher quality, traceability and regional
sourcing. From this standpoint, Avril’s model is
extremely modern and wholly in phase with
this vision. It restores ambition and dynamics to
a farming sector that is looking for French
champions.
What makes this model so original for oilseed
producers?
A. R.: Avril can guarantee that their grain will be
processed locally, that they will be less exposed
to the global market and able to plan for the
long term. I would also like to emphasize the
ambitious innovative approach adopted by the
Group, notably regarding proteins, which offers
real market opportunities for farmers. I am
convinced that proteins will be a driver for the
future of our sector.
What are the prospects for 2018?
A. R.: This will be a pivotal year, with important
deadlines that will impact our environment: the
issues of international trade and customs
duties, the use of palm oil for biofuels,
European decisions on the future of biodiesel
and the French law we are expecting as a result
of the National Food Conference that will
redistribute the balance between producers,
processors and distributors, etc. In this period
of uncertainty, we must more than ever
reaffirm our collective beliefs and the vocation
of our sectoral model regarding the sustainable
development of our regions.
ARNAUD ROUSSEAU
Chairman of Avril Gestion
9.8.
Introduction
Introduction

 BUSINESS LINES
OILSEEDS
PROCESSING
AVRIL
SPECIALTIES
ANIMAL NUTRITION
PROCESSING
AVRIL
DEVELOPMENT
TERRES UNIVIA
FIDOP
EMPLOYEES
FOP
OILS
CONDIMENTS
COLLEGIAL GOVERNANCE
WITH STRONG
AGRICULTURAL ROOTS
Xavier Beulin, an important leader
in agriculture
Xavier Beulin died suddenly on 19 February 2017,
at the age of just 58 years. He had been
Chairman of the Avril Group since 2000. Involved
from an early age in agricultural unionism,
he steadily climbed the ladder to become
Chairman of the FOP in 1999, and then of the
FNSEA. We remember a profoundly committed
man, a lover of the land and a visionary, who
worked unceasingly to develop French farming.
He was a central driving force behind the Avril
Group, giving it the stature of a national leader.
THE
BOARD
Governance forged for the future
In 2015, Avril equipped itself with a new
governance structure and the status of a
limited partnership with share capital (Société
en Commandite par Actions, SCA). This
structure can separate the power of
shareholders (the limited partners or associés
commanditaires which include the FIDOP2
,
FOP3
and the Fondation Avril, recognized as a
public utility) from that of the manager (Avril
Gestion, the general partner or associé
commandité). This helps to ensure that the
founder shareholders in the Group remain
central to its growth strategy. The partners
work through a Supervisory Board with eight
members, who include two staff
representatives from the Avril Group, elected
by their peers. This Board is chaired by Antoine
Henrion, who is also Chairman of Terres Univia4
.
The Board of Avril Gestion appoints the
manager of the SCA and decides upon the
major strategic and financial orientations of the
Avril Group. This Board comprises nine
members: four from the FOP, three qualified
personalities and two former CEOs or
corporate officers of the Group. In February
2017, the Officers of Avril Gestion elected
Arnaud Rousseau to serve as the Chairman of
its Board.
1. Terres Inovia: Technical Institute for Oilseed Crops, Grain
Legumes and Industrial Hemp.
2. FIDOP: Interprofessional Development Fund for the
Oilseeds and Proteins Sector.
3. FOP: French Federation of Oilseed and Protein Crop
Producers.
4. Terres Univia: Interprofessional organization for oilseeds
and protein crops.
BENJAMIN LAMMERT
Farmer,
Member of the Board of the FOP
ARNAUD ROUSSEAU
Farmer, Chairman of Avril Gestion,
Chairman of the FOP
JEAN-PIERRE DENIS
Chairman of Crédit Mutuel Arkea
and Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne
SÉBASTIEN WINDSOR
Farmer, Vice-Chairman of the FOP,
Chairman of Terres Inovia 1
ALAIN RENOUX
Farmer,
Vice-Chairman of the FOP
ANNE LAUVERGEON
CEO of ALP Services
and Chair of Sigfox
PIERRE PRINGUET
Vice-Chairman
of Pernod Ricard
SYLVIE RUCAR
Consultant
ALAIN MIROT
Former CFO
of Sofiprotéol
AVRIL — Activity report 2017
10.
Introduction
11.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. MOUSSA NACIRI
General Manager of the Avril Specialties
Business Line
2. OLIVIER DELAMÉA
General Manager of the Oils Condiments
Business Line
3. MARIE DE LA
ROCHE KERANDRAON
Vice President for Human Resources
and Communications
4. MICHEL BOUCLY
Deputy CEO
5. JEAN-BAPTISTE BACHELERIE
General Manager of the Oilseeds
Processing Business Line
6. JEAN-PHILIPPE PUIG
Chairman and Executive Officer (CEO)
7. PAUL-JOËL DERIAN
Vice President for Innovation,
Research Sustainable Development
8. MARIE GRIMALDI
General Manager of the Animal Nutrition
Processing Business Line
9. AYMERIC MONGEAUD
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
10. STÉPHANE YRLÈS
Secretary-General
11. GABRIEL KRAPF
Vice President for Industrial
International Development
2 81 74 103 95 116
13.12.
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functions such as accounting, salaries,
IS management and General Services in France,
so that Business Lines can focus on their core
activities.
Three years after Avril was born, this dynamic
focused on improving our performance is on
the right track.
Furthermore, the increase in capital of
Sofiprotéol – €100 million – and additional
external commitments in its new private debt
fund reflected the trust of investors in our areas
of activity and also in our investment
management skills.
How did the Group’s activities change?
A.M.: Biodiesel production suffered severe
damage to its margins because of a
concomitance of unfavorable factors, notably
linked to opening of the European market to
imports of soybean biodiesel from Argentina
and palm biodiesel from Indonesia.
In the Oils Condiments Business Line, Lesieur
also experienced a difficult year. This was firstly
due to a marked rise in raw material costs
(+60% in two years for olive oil in particular)
that the company was not able to pass on
during commercial negotiations with major
retailers. The second reason was the
unfavorable trade situation regarding imports
into Algeria, which damaged Lesieur’s sauces
and condiments lines. However, the latter issue
will soon be resolved by opening a factory in
Algeria during the summer of 2018.
The performance of our oleochemicals
activities reflected the upturn of the global and
European economies which favorably impacted
the needs of industry and validated Oleon’s
positioning on specialty products with high
added value.
The egg branch pursued changes to its model
in response to increasing consumer demand for
alternative eggs. However, our purchase prices
were severely affected by the abrupt rise in
shell egg prices triggered by the Fipronil crisis,
although this did not concern Avril’s supply
sectors. For this reason, we were forced in 2017
to launch plans to adapt Matines’ production
tools. In parallel, the Group worked with its
partner breeders to support changes in our
production modes towards free range and
organic eggs.
Our pig branch confirmed the pertinence of the
strategy adopted in recent years to enable the
valorization of French products in terms of
quality. As for animal nutrition activities, they
recorded an excellent recovery after a year
(2016) that had been marked by the French
livestock crisis.
Finally, our incubator for rapidly growing
companies, Avril Development, confirmed the
value of its model through the good
performance of Sopral in developing its
international activities, and Terrial’s
confirmation as an increasingly important actor
in organic fertilizers.
What were the effects on the Group’s results?
A.M.: In a market environment that remained
unfavorable to some of our activities, the Group’s
good performance illustrated its strength and
fully validated the pertinence of actions
implemented under the Avril 2020 strategic plan.
Turnover progressed to €6.2 billion (+6%), driven
by the rise in raw materials prices and our
international growth; the EBITDA fell to
€122 million. The net result continued to be
impacted by the problems encountered by our
crushing, refining and esterification activities, and
also by shell eggs. The level of debt rose but
remained under control and limited when
compared to our equity capital, which reached
€1.75 billion.
What are your priorities and prospects in
2018?
A.M.: In an environment that remains difficult, the
Group will – as in 2017 – remain watchful
regarding the need to control expenditure and
prefer investments that offer prospects for rapid
profitability and can consolidate resilient
foundations for an EBITDA that is less sensitive to
market volatility, under the logic of developing the
share of specialties with high added value and
pursuing actions that enhance its operational
excellence. In its historic activity of biofuels, Avril
will be opening a new market in 2018 with the
launch for captive fleets of a 100% plant-based,
100% renewable and 100% Made in France fuel
that can completely replace fossil diesel. This new
specialty biofuel will generate additional value for
the sector.
DECIPHERING
THE YEAR
What is your analysis of 2017?
Aymeric Mongeaud: the year stood out for the
marked difference in its dynamic by comparison
with 2016, when all our activities suffered from
an unfavorable economic context. Some
activities performed extremely well in 2017 and
accelerated their efforts to create value, such as
oleochemicals, animal nutrition, animal
specialties, the pig branch, international oils and
condiments, Avril Development and our finance
company, Sofiprotéol. But others had to deal with
difficult environments, such as the egg branch,
biodiesel manufacture and oils and condiments
in France.
Despite these trends, which reflected
heterogeneous sectoral contexts, 2017 fully
validated the transformation strategy initiated
two years ago. Firstly, through the opening of
new growth opportunities in high potential
markets thanks to innovation and
internationalization, and secondly the increase in
the Group’s competitiveness and flexibility,
thanks to consolidation of our operational
excellence in an unstable economic setting.
Our international sales were responsible for
driving increases in activity and value creation. As
for our operational excellence approach, it
passed some important milestones. We
exceeded our objective of achieving overall
Despite the growth of our businesses and increased
profitability, the unfavorable market for French biodiesel
penalized our results. Nevertheless, Avril kept on course
in 2017 in terms of cost control and operational excellence,
and continued to support the creation of value
in all its activities.
savings of €100 million, thanks to the Operational
and Strategic Excellence Program (EOS)
launched in 2013. We also accelerated the
deployment of projects that would consolidate
the Group for the future. These notably included
the first structuring steps towards a renovated
Information System and Computer
Infrastructure, implementation of our future
Group ERP in the first operational entity –
Lesieur – and a year after its launch, the full
deployment of Avril Services that centralizes
AYMERIC MONGEAUD,
CFO of the Avril Group
and Deputy CEO of Sofiprotéol
15.14.
Decipheringtheyear
Decipheringtheyear

To pursue its transformation and
ensure the success of its founding
principles, Avril is maintaining its
strategic course focused on four
main areas: operational excellence,
international growth, innovation
and a collective commitment. An
overview of progress in 2017.
2017 –
THE CORE

STAKES, CHALLENGES
AND OPPORTUNITIES
IN FRANCE
Restoring value for agriculture and
food in the future
As part of Avril’s mission, this challenge was at
the heart of the États Généraux de
l'Alimentation (French Food Conference) that
took place during the second half of 2017 and
combined public consultation with workshops
focused on three issues: improving the
distribution of product value, accelerating the
transformation of French agriculture and
responding to demands from society with
respect to food. Among its conclusions, the
Conference underlined the essential need for
well-structured agricultural sectors.
For Avril, which has always promoted this
vision and largely participated in the
discussions, thinking on foods for tomorrow
and models for their production needs to go
far beyond short distribution channels and
organic sectors and also integrate
conventional sectors (such as vegetable oils
and proteins) which are committed to
supplying consumers with regional products
of impeccable quality that are accessible to all.
It is also fundamental to attack the structural
problem of value distribution between major
retailers and upstream agriculture.
Favoring national self-sufficiency in
vegetable proteins
In early 2018, The French President stated
that he was in favor of an ambitious protein
plan for the coming five years, with the aim
of achieving national self-sufficiency.
As a spearhead in this ambition, Avril pointed
out that it was the development of rapeseed
cultivation that had enabled a reduction in
France’s protein dependence in terms of
livestock feeds thanks to the co-valorization
of its two indissoluble resources: oil and
protein.
Faced with this challenge of national
importance, the Group is involved in several
areas: the defense of biofuels Made in France
(co-producers of vegetable proteins), new
opportunities for innovation that will valorize
vegetable proteins in nutrition and renewable
chemistry, and practical contributions to the
structuring of a French non-GM soybean
sector, which has met with considerable
success.
IN EUROPE
Contributing to energy transition
through regionally-produced
biofuels
To comply with the undertakings of the Paris
Climate Agreement, Europe needs to adopt an
ambitious stance regarding the obligatory
share of renewable energy to be used in
transport between now and 2030. It must also
determine its position on the renewable
energy mix, and notably the incorporation rate
and nature of first generation biofuels. These
decisions are the subject of debate at the
European level, focused on the Renewable
Energies Directorate (RED II).
It is Avril’s opinion that biofuels made using
locally cultivated biomass such as rapeseed
should constitute a preponderant proportion
of the renewable energy mix for the long
term, as the alternatives are not sufficient at
present to meet the declared aims, and do not
supply pertinent responses to vegetable
protein needs. In 2017, the Group asserted the
environmental, economic and social
contributions made by Diester®
, a biodiesel
made from renewable and local raw materials.
Avril continues to work on improving the
environmental component of biodiesel
production from the field to the pump, and has
for several years been investing in research on
second generation biofuels to supplement
their predecessor.
WORLDWIDE
Producing more and increasingly
sustainably
Whether the aim is to respond to the strong
growth in demand for proteins from developing
countries or to propose new technological
solutions for the chemicals industry, Avril
works to address a key challenge of sustainable
performance. In animal sectors, the Group
aligns its efforts with several important trends:
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock units
and paying more attention to animal welfare.
Drawing strength from its expertise in the
husbandry, health and nutrition of animals,
Avril has committed to a Sustainable Health
Management approach in livestock units
and is developing the international use of its
innovative specialties in different animal
sectors. In the area of renewable chemistry,
the Group has progressed in the field of
biosourced solutions that offer both
environmental and health benefits.
ONE GRAIN, TWO CO-PRODUCTS
Rapeseed oil and protein,
and their markets, are inseparable
The future of our
sectors will be based on a
global vision of plants and a
balanced valorization of its
co-products: oil and protein.
We need to continue
developing markets for
these two resources, which
are inseparable from each
other, to the benefit of our
regions.”
Michel Boucly
Deputy CEO
44%
of the weight of a
rapeseed grain is
made up of
vegetable oil
used to produce table oils,
renewable energies and
for plant chemistry
56%
of the weight of a
rapeseed grain is
made up of oilseed
meal rich in vegetable
protein
used for livestock feeds
Avril positions itself in areas that are in phase with its
mission and responds to key societal challenges in France,
Europe and around the world. The range of its activities
represents markets for the oils and proteins sectors and
opportunities for the Group’s growth.
19.18.
2017–Thecore
2017–Thecore

STAYING ON COURSE AND
REAFFIRMING OUR AMBITIONS
A paradoxical situation
Year on year, Avril’s model has confirmed its
usefulness and modernity when faced with
major challenges. In 2017, the French National
Food Conference traced the roadmap for good
agricultural practices and emphasized the need
for well-structured sectors in order to recreate
relationships and trust. Several signs indicated
that the importance of the oils and proteins
sector to France’s food self-sufficiency was
clearly understood. But paradoxically, and mainly
for regulatory reasons, the situation had never
been as bad in one of its major markets,
biodiesel, with rapeseed suffering from unfair
competition from imported soybean and palm
oils. A situation that made the Group’s strategic
choices, as set out in the Avril 2020 plan, even
more relevant.
Accelerating the transition towards
new activities and markets
Avril continued to adapt the structure of its
activities towards those with higher added value
and a global dimension. External growth played a
key role in this transition. Thus Avril Animal
Specialties doubled its biosecurity activities
thanks to the acquisition of Ewabo in Germany,
and the Avril Oil Ingredient Solutions platform
enhanced its skills by developing close ties with
the specialist firm Novastell. Through the
acquisition of Indusalim in Morocco, the Group
took a position in the margarine market. For these
reasons, the majority of the Group’s EBITDA in
2017 was achieved in international markets.
A second lever concerned the transformation of
innovation, a strong component within Avril, into
markets. Advances were thus achieved, such as
the first industrial trials by Evertree in
Proteochem®
or the first production of
sunflower lecithin by Saipol.
Finally, by developing digital tools such as
Canopée and FeedMarket.fr, Avril opened a new
chapter in the services it can offer its customers.
Intensifying our regional projects
As well as its economic objectives, Avril is
pursuing its overall goal, which is its fight for
local and regional strength. Through its activities
as an investor with Sofiprotéol, the Group
further increased its financial commitments to
serve this mission of national importance. Two
major events – an increase in capital at the end
of the year and the success of the first
fundraising round by Sofiprotéol Dette Privée –
reinforced Avril’s ability to support all parts of
the French agricultural economy through the
partnerships developed by Sofiprotéol.
In its core business, biodiesel, the Group
reaffirmed its desire to continue defending this
essential market for farmers by valorizing
regional biofuels such as B100, made of 100%
French rapeseed.
Defending local interests also means adding
value to French livestock sectors in line with the
successful model of our pig branch with Abera,
which is structured to drive products towards
higher value and respond to demands for proven
origin and quality from consumers.
Our atypical model allows
us to apply a long-term
strategy supported by our
industrial performance.
The aim is to reinforce our
sustainable development
commitments and to better
publicize our advantages in
response to the demands of all
our customers: quality,
traceability, a French origin
and sectors of excellence.”
In an external context that was damaged by a crisis
impacting its biodiesel activities, Avril nevertheless stayed
on course in 2017 and accelerated its transformation
towards new growth opportunities. This was crucial to the
success of its founding objective: to add value to the oils
and proteins sectors while serving different regions.
Michel Boucly
Deputy CEO
21.20.
2017–Thecore

D
uring a year of poorer profitability, the Group
nevertheless continued to drive the ambitions of its
Operational and Strategic Excellence program (EOS)
focused on six priorities: health and safety, operational
performance, optimization of purchasing and the supply
chain, the adaptation of production facilities and reducing
working capital requirements. In 2017, Avril surpassed its
goal of achieving savings worth €100 million since 2013.
Continuing progress with safety
The tragic accident that occurred at the Saipol site in Dieppe
on 17 February 2018 reinforced Avril’s commitment to
achieving a zero accident rate. In 2017, the frequency of
accidents (TF2) fell by 20% (and by more than 60%
since 2013), thanks notably to the development of site safety
visits (VST), the ongoing training plan and the personal
commitment of managers. In France, a specific approach
adopted with a major temporary employment group resulted
in a significant drop of 48% in the TF2 involving its workers.
Optimizing expenditure
To further improve its industrial performance, Avril
accelerated its EOS training program for employees
responsible for deploying plans to improve the yields,
quality and timelines of production. Thus 850 additional
operatives were trained at sites throughout the world, and
more than 600 performance projects generated value
worth nearly €27 million for the Group. In the supply chain,
the adoption of SOP (Sales Operations Planning)
methods will confirm Avril’s ability to reconcile its sales
plans (demand) with its production capacities (supply) while
meeting the Group’s objectives in terms of service.
Following the flow analysis performed in 2017,
improvements to logistics and transport strategies should
improve costs in this area. For its supplies in raw materials,
Saipol has launched a two-year project designed to develop
water or rail transport options instead of, or alongside,
shipment by truck, with the dual objective of ensuring
environmental performance and cost optimization.
In terms of purchasing, Avril pursed its efforts towards
mutualizing and professionalizing this function, which in
2017 generated savings worth more than €24 million and in
2018 will be broadened to include multiservice providers
and logistics. The Group also widened the scope of
competition for certain international calls for tender,
notably regarding services that concern investment
expenditure, and formalized its requirements relative to
environmentally-friendly practices in a Responsible
Purchasing Charter.
Strategic Area 1
A STRONG
AND COMPETITIVE
GROUP IN
ITS MARKETS
THAT LISTENS
TO CUSTOMERS
Improving Avril’s operational
excellence at all levels.
Safety remains our
number one priority.
Following a successful pilot
project in Morocco, we are
focusing in 2018 on raising the
awareness of all employees to
the improvement in our
results by working on
individual behaviors.”
Gabriel Krapf
Vice President for Industrial
International Development
Savings worth more than
€ 100 M
achieved since the EOS
program was launched
in 2013
Nearly
70%
of employees implemented
safety-related actions
during the second “Avril
Safety Day”
Nearly
5,000site safety visits took place
in 2017
23.22.
2017–Thecore

All mobilized for road safety
I
n 2017, particular attention was paid to the road safety of all
traveling staff (delivery drivers, technical sales staff) and
employees using their vehicles to come to work. During the
second “Avril Safety Day in June, 662 vehicles were checked at the
Group’s ten French sites. This was achieved with the support of
Arval, the long-term vehicle rental firm used by Avril, which called
on the assistance of Euromaster, a specialist in the diagnosis of
vehicle safety.
A second operation was organized in January 2018 to anticipate
winter conditions. At the same time, some sixty employees from
the Bruz site in Brittany benefited from training in safer driving.
The aim was to identify risky situations (fatigue, using a phone
while driving, etc.) and thus prevent them. The SOLO game –
usually used in factories – was adapted to the needs of traveling
sales staff and delivery drivers at Sanders Bretagne and Sanders
Euralis. Its principle is to think about the risks before starting a task
in order to adopt the correct behavior. Finally the Purchasing
Department – working with Human Resources – introduced new
criteria for the equipment of the company’s fleet; e.g. an audible
warning sounds when a white lane marking is being crossed.
Adapting industrial facilities
to market changes
N
early €150 million were committed
in 2017 to projects to develop or
transform industrial assets: for
example, at Lesieur, with the installation
of a new packaging machine on the
Grande-Synthe site, modernization
of industrial and research activities in
Coudekerque or the construction of a
mayonnaise factory in Algeria, which will be
completed in 2018. In parallel, Oleon opened
a new RD center in Malaysia to meet the
growing Asian demand for oleochemical
specialties, and completed an increase in its
dimer production capacity in Ertvelde,
Belgium. In plant processing, Avril initiated the
production of sunflower lecithins with two
units; one in France (Saipol) and the other in
Romania (Expur). In animal nutrition, Sanders
converted two plants to produce organic
feeds, and improved the performance of four
other sites in Brittany. And in the context of
revitalizing a non-GM soybean sector in
France, Sofiprotéol, the Group’s finance and
development arm, contributed to funding the
opening in 2017 of a crushing unit – Sojalim –
in the Hautes-Pyrénées region.
Biomass at the service
of energy performance
I
n 2017, the Saipol site in Sète
completed the installation of its
electricity generating turbine
alongside the biomass boiler which uses
a by-product – sunflower hulls – from
the Bassens plant in Gironde. Seven of
Avril’s eight largest production sites (in
France, Romania, Malaysia and Morocco)
are now equipped with biomass boilers
that supply 95% of their thermal energy
requirements. By replacing gas, they
prevent emissions of 130,000 tonnes
CO2
/year.
A UNIQUE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
The Group is preparing the launch in
2019 of the Avril Integrated
Management System (AIMS). Designed
to replace numerous existing
certifications, this system favors
continuing improvement in the fields of
safety, the environment and quality,
and is based on a new and specific
informatics tool. Saipol is currently
testing this management system in a
pilot study.
A new
service
For the first time, Avril provided
technical support to another
company that was constructing a
soybean crushing plant in Algeria.
The provision of expert support is
an activity that the Group could
well develop in the future.
HIGHLIGHTS
24.
2017–Thecore
Christophe Baucher, feed delivery driver
at Sanders Ouest, Bretteville site, France

1/3of turnover and XX%
of EBITDA achieved
internationally in 2017
For the past two years, two
management teams, one for
the American continent and
the other for Africa-the
Middle East-Asia, have been
providing operational support
for the international growth
of both Business Lines and
Business Units. A wide variety
of interventions were made in
the field, always with the aim
of optimizing Avril’s
performance in these regions,
either through export or by
setting up commercial or
industrial sites. This
organization also aims to
foster Group synergies.
A
vril’s international dynamism illustrates the
potential of this strategic area for growth. When
searching for new markets to serve its sectors,
the Group exploits three levers: internationalization of
its sectoral model, its specialty activities and increasing
exports of its brands. Considerable progress was
achieved in all three in 2017.
Structuring and growing national sectors
Avril pursued its strategy focused on international sectoral
development, notably in Maghreb countries. The rapeseed
sector that the Group has been organizing during the past
three years in Tunisia produced its first 100% Tunisian
rapeseed oil in 2017. In Algeria, Lesieur started construction of
a mayonnaise factory in a joint venture with its retail partner,
the Djadi Group, which constituted a particularly strategic
advance in the local context of import restrictions.
In Morocco, Lesieur Cristal acquired Indusalim in the
margarine market. This new activity will reinforce its local
leadership and enable it to pursue the development of its
value chain in the fats segment.
In the animal sectors, international activities also offered a
growth opportunity for Sanders which progressed in Algeria
where Sim Sanders already holds more than 50% of market
share, and in Tunisia where the company signed an agreement
with the Hachicha Group to develop its activities. Overall,
Sanders recorded excellent growth of 67% in its international
tonnage in 2017, and is predicting 35% growth in 2018 for its
three subsidiaries in Algeria, Tunisia and Serbia.
Accelerating the conquest of new regions
Globalization was the driver for growth in specialty areas.
Major progress was achieved by Avril Animal Specialties in 2017,
notably thanks to its strategic acquisitions – Salus in Brazil,
Ewabo in Germany – and to the synergies operated between its
different subsidiaries. Oleon also pursued its conquest of the
American and Asiatic markets by launching tailor-made
solutions. More recently, the Avril Oil Ingredient Solutions
platform (AOIS) has been focusing on the international network
of sites in the Oilseeds Processing Business Line to sell its
specialty oils and ingredients and respond to global calls for
tender.
Finally, the Lesieur and Lesieur Cristal brands increased their
export efforts and crossed new frontiers: that of the USA for
Moroccan oils and that of China for French sauces and
condiments.
Strategic Area 2
A RESOLUTELY
INTERNATIONAL
GROUP SET TO
CONQUER NEW
MARKETS
Accelerating international
development to capture new
growth opportunities
27.26.
2017–Thecore

Asia: considerable potential for Avril’s growth
S
aipol in Singapore, MiXscience in Vietnam, Oleon in Malaysia,
Lesieur in China, etc. Within a few years, Asia has become a
target market for Avril and most Business Lines are pursuing
ambitious objectives in this region with immense potential for
consumption, where French products can offer the guarantees of
quality and traceability sought by the growing middle classes. In all
its activities, Avril is capitalizing on a premium positioning and
products adapted to the requirements of local customers.
Lesieur’s sauces and condiments have thus started to conquer the
Chinese market by attracting attention in the blogosphere through
cooking demonstrations given by well-known French chefs, and by
developing a sweet mayonnaise adapted to local tastes. In this,
Lesieur is following Oleon Health Beauty which launched its
Jolee®
product range at the in-cosmetics event in Bangkok by
highlighting formulations adapted to the local climate.
Avril Animal Specialties has also reinforced its presence in this
strategic region: enlargement of the Oleon research center
in Malaysia and the creation of a MiXasia subsidiary in Vietnam
to develop its know-how in animal specialties in China and
South-East Asia.
In order to foster all possible synergies between these initiatives,
and create more value together, Avril has set up a tight network
and shared tools for all the employees concerned.
How Lesieur is growing
in the Middle East
T
he Middle East is one of the regions
targeted by Avril, notably for its
table oils. The aim is to gain a
position in the premium segment and then
develop this market as part of the French
sector. Thus Lesieur is planning to produce
in Abu Dhabi in partnership with a local
actor. The oil will come from France but be
bottled in the country. This will allow
Lesieur to gain in competitiveness and
adapt to the regional standard of bottles
with an integrated handle. Starting from
these foundations, Lesieur oils could then
find markets throughout the region: Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Bahrein, etc.
THE FIRST 100%
TUNISIAN RAPESEED OIL
In early 2017, the Tunisian government,
Avril, and its subsidiary Lesieur Cristal,
inaugurated a local rapeseed sector
structured from upstream to
downstream around local partners.
At that time, Cristal Tunisia launched
the first 100% Tunisian rapeseed oil,
sold under the Lesieur brand, placing
particular emphasis on its high omega
3 content and associated health
benefits. The venture was a success
and the entire production was sold.
Avril thus created a rapeseed market in
Tunisia that had not previously existed.
Best
World's
Olive Oil
2017
This is the title earned by olive oil
from Domaine de Kalea (Morocco) at
the New York international Olive Oil
competition!
Avril Animal Specialties
conquering South American
markets
I
n 2016, MiXscience became a majority
shareholder in the Brazilian company
Salus, a major actor in the world’s third
largest market for livestock feed. A year
later, Salus recorded excellent results that
enabled Avril Animal Specialties to
increase its market share in Brazil.
The company, which specializes in premix
for farmed livestock, thus broadened its
customer base and diversified and added
value to its products. The two partners
combined their know-how in nutritional
specialties to accelerate their growth and
now aim to conquer markets in
neighboring countries.
Arabia, Qatar, Bahrein, etc.
World's
HIGHLIGHTS
28.
2017–Thecore

250research scientists
and experts
5main RID centers in France,
Morocco and Malaysia
13sustainable development
indicators integrated in the
Group’s strategic plan
F
or Avril, innovation and sustainable
development are the two inseparable
pillars required to create value.
Protein on the route to industrialization
A priority for the future of the sector, projects concerning new
opportunities to valorize vegetable proteins saw considerable
progress in 2017. The aim is to use the protein fraction of grain
to create specialty projects for sale in diversified markets. In
the area of protéochimie®
(protein chemistry), Evertree
opened its own innovation center to respond to the needs of
the wood-based composite panels industry. In terms of human
foods, RID chose the partnership route and successfully
produced its first protein isolates. Finally, the advances
achieved regarding processes to concentrate rapeseed and
sunflower flours now make it possible to envisage their
industrialization in 2018 for applications in animal nutrition.
From innovation to business
In specialty activities, innovation is an important lever for
development and 2017 was a year of practical results. In
oleochemicals, the industrialization of an original process for
dimer production enabled an offer of new services in a growth
market. Oleon also started to sell its bio-surface active agents,
opening the way towards numerous 100% natural applications.
On its side, Avril Animal Specialties marketed its first additives
benefiting from a new encapsulation technology, and the first
barrier flora resulting from biotechnology research.
Demands from society as a source of innovation
In all Avril’s activities, RID is trying to place increasing emphasis
on responding to societal challenges. This may mean
biosourced and environmentally-friendly products for the
chemicals industry, support for livestock farmers in their
efforts to demedicalize their units by using preventive and
natural solutions, or participating in the circular economy
through companies such as Terrial and Adonial, whose vocation
is to recycle livestock waste, organic industrial residues,
agri-food by-products and production rejects into resources.
Strategic Area 3
INNOVATION
TO DRIVE
THE CREATION OF
SUSTAINABLE VALUE
A lever for profitable
and responsible growth
Most of our innovation
projects are driven by our
principal commitments: to
valorize French sectors, provide
better foods for humans and
preserve the planet”
Paul-Joël Derian
Vice President for
Innovation, Research
Sustainable Development.
31.30.
2017–Thecore

Sustainable development
Demanding and engaging programs
A
s a responsible industrial group, Avril also aims to be a driver
for transformation throughout the sector. In 2017, the Group
formalized its ambitious policies with respect to sustainable
palm oil and animal welfare, so that they could be shared with its
ecosystem.
The Sustainable Palm Policy can be defined by a single ambition –
supplies of only “zero deforestation” palm oil – and a demanding
program that impacts all palm oil purchases. In the first instance,
Avril listed all its direct suppliers and worked with them to map the
supply chain and introduce a monitoring system. The same approach
was also initiated relative to sustainable soybean.
In terms of the welfare of farmed livestock, Avril is committed to
total transparency in two main areas: identifying and eliminating
unacceptable situations and advancing practices within the scope of
its responsibility. In practice, its approach is based on three founding
principles – to provide solutions that will guarantee animal health,
ensure good living conditions for animals, and develop a culture of
consideration for animals – and their implementation, species by
species through targeted actions as from 2018.
Furthermore, Avril has now adhered to the United Nations Global
Compact and thus to the ten social and environmental principles
derived from important international documents. Its membership
requires the annual publication of a report that monitors its actions
and is filed on the UN Global Compact website.
The growth of Evertree
I
n 2017, Evertree opened its first
Innovation Center in Venette (Oise).
Its mission is to develop biosourced
solutions using rapeseed protein as
alternatives to petroleum-based products,
and to drive a new activity for Avril:
Proteochem®
(protein chemistry).
Numerous innovation projects are now
under way, including finalization of a first
family of additives for the wood-based
panels industry. This innovation will enable
the reduction or even elimination of
chemical glues and adhesives (such as
PMDI or formaldehyde) in these panels,
and thus procure major environmental
benefits with identical or even better
technical and economic performance.
Various industrial qualification trials with
leaders in this industry are ongoing.
A 100% LOCAL
SUNFLOWER OIL
Launched by Saipol and Lesieur,
Cœur de Tournesol 100 % Sud-Ouest
is sunﬂower oil that is harvested,
produced, packaged and sold in
south-western France. Tested in
partnership with a major retailer, this
innovation illustrates the modernity of
Avril’s sectoral model that can respond
to growing demands from consumers
for products from short distribution
channels, and valorize the quality of
French products. This innovation is
fully in line with the Group’s mission
and sustainable development policy.
For more information,
consult our Sustainable Development Report
The potential
for digital innovation
W
ith Canopée at Sanders and
FeedMarket.fr at Saipol, digital
innovation was in the spotlight in
2017. Taking the form of a digital app for
use by livestock farmers, Canopée is a
unique service innovation that collects and
analyses all livestock data on a farm and
then transforms them into a predictive
management tool. FeedMarket.fr is the
digital market-place for the sale of oilseed
meals and vegetable oils to livestock
farmers, traders and feed manufacturers.
These are two innovations that illustrate
the emergence in the Group of new
services and business models to create
value.
HIGHLIGHTS
33.32.
2017–Thecore

Strategic Area 4
T
he men and women of Avril contribute every day, and
everywhere the Group operates, to the development
of sectors of excellence. What mobilizes them is a
collective company project and values that the new
Human Resources Division aims to cultivate so as to better
prepare for the future, while deploying pragmatic
initiatives that will drive structural change.
A new HR organization to support Avril’s
transformation
In 2017, the Human Resources Division initiated its
reorganization. Centered around the added value of the
function at the service of the Group’s transformation and
growth, its organization is based on the founding principles
of Avril – its history, culture and values. It thus focuses on
four commitments:
1. reinforcement of its attractiveness as an employer
and the development of all talents;
2. fair and competitive rewards for the contributions
of all employees;
3. reinforcement of the role of managers and the
empowerment of all colleagues as actors in transformation;
4. attentiveness, an ability to listen and close relations with
all stakeholders, both internal and external.
To serve these commitments, managers working alongside
Human Resources are central to the Group’s transformation.
For this purpose, deployment of the “Manager@Avril”
program, launched in 2015 in order to federate 950 “team
leaders” around a common managerial culture, is continuing.
An initial cycle of Weedoo training (see insert on p. 37) was
thus completed in 2017 and brought together 450 local
PEOPLE
COMMITTED
TO SERVING
A FEDERATIVE
COMPANY
PROJECT
Cultivating our values
to prepare for the future
It is by knowing where
we have come from that we
shall understand where we are
going. In a rapidly changing
Group that benefits from a
broad diversity of skills and
working environments, the
strength and modernity of our
company project and business
model are the first levers for
collective commitment. It is by
cultivating them that we shall
provide efficient support for
the Group’s growth.”
Marie de la
Roche Kerandraon,
Vice President for
Human Resources and
Communication
ATTENTIVE
TO ALL STAFF AND
BUSINESS PARTNERS.
EFFICIENT.
DEVELOPMENT
OF ALL TALENTS
CENTRAL TO
TRANSFORMATION
FAIRE
AND COMPETITIVE
REWARDS
A RH TEAM
The future for our
business model also requires
the implementation of a
Human Resources policy that
is attractive and homogenous.
The achievements of recent
years have enabled some
important advances in
consolidating a real Group
culture. The actions
undertaken by our new
management constitute a
major step forwards and Avril
now benefits from the best
possible standards.”
Philippe Lamblin,
ex-Vice President
for Human Resources
and Communications
HR FOUR COMMITMENTS
35.34.
2017–Thecore

managers around a shared foundation of skills to serve the
Group’s priorities: health and safety, a culture of excellence,
the career development of staff, initiative and creativity.
Drawing from our roots
Avril operates according to an original and resolutely modern
model: a sectoral organization from grain to the processed
product that combines a variety of activities under the same
banner and a collective project to serve the both general
interest and local agriculture. These links with the farming
world nourish a sense of belonging that each Group
employee can consolidate; a good example of such
community projects is in Morocco where in 2017 Lesieur
Cristal employees renovated a primary school attended by
the children of its olive grove farmers. Other examples are
the upcoming launch of a voluntary program in the context
of actions by the Fondation Avril, and efforts to highlight the
value of jobs in the agricultural and agri-food sectors: as
from 2018, Avril’s French employees will be encouraged to
meet with farmers and participate in hikes organized by the
association Au Cœur des Paysans, supported by the
Fondation Avril.
Another vector for these community efforts is the Yellow
intranet platform that was launched in 2016 and continues to
grow; it is now accessible to 80% of the Group’s employees.
Avril also opened some new horizons. In 2017, the Group
Executive Committee welcomed four new managers,
including two women. The Executive Committee for Young
People, which comprises managers who are younger than 35,
notably focused on teleworking (starting in 2017) and
intrapreneurship.
Welfare at work
and proud of our activities
H
ealth and welfare at work are priorities
for Avril and new initiatives are
launched each year. In 2018, Lesieur
will be one of the first French companies to
adopt a program on quality of life at work
following a survey on the expectations of its
employees. In addition, Lesieur organized
cooking workshops for Saipol in order to
train employees at the Montoir-de-Bretagne
site in the basics of a healthy and balanced
diet. On its side, Abera called on a specialist
in knife skills to help with preventing the
musculoskeletal disorders linked to butchery
and to give new life to the age-old profession
of the butcher.
FONDATION C. GÉNIAL:
80 TEACHERS VISITING
AVRIL SITES
During the past two years, Avril
has been a partner in the
Professeurs en entreprise
(teachers in companies)
initiative led by the Fondation
C. Génial, designed to create
links between the worlds of
education and industry. Nine
Group sites thus opened their
doors to nearly 80 teachers,
most working in technical and
vocational sectors. The aim was
to improve their knowledge of
jobs in the agri-food and
agribusiness sectors so that
their teaching and career advice
would be based on their
practical experience. In 2017,
Ovoteam, Oleon and Sanders
joined Saipol and Lesieur in this
great adventure. In 2018, Avril
will be testing another
operation proposed by the
Fondation C. Génial: Ingénieurs
et Techniciens dans les Classes
(engineers and technicians in
the classroom). This time, it will
be our staﬀ members who will
be presenting their activities
directly to the students.
With Avril Academy, consolidation
of the Group culture continues
S
ince January 2016, Avril Academy has been the Group’s internal
“university” which fosters and develops all strategic and transversal
training projects. Completed in 2017, its first 70-hour training course for
local managers – Weedoo – was acknowledged externally for its originality,
pertinence and qualifications – by École Polytechnique. A new course was
launched at the end of 2017: Weelead. It is intended for 250 managers of
managers, and training is based notably on a fictional series in four seasons
written to cinema standards which drives the development of leadership
skills. In 2018, Avril also initiated courses focused on particular activities,
starting with Weesupply for those working in logistics in order to develop a
common identity and language and thus facilitate synergies within the Group.
Since January, new recruits also benefit from a 100% digital introductory
course -Weestart- which enables them to discover Avril, its values, its history,
its strategy and its activities in an interactive and dynamic manner.
HIGHLIGHTS
37.36.
2017–Thecore

Avril’s activities are organized around two
complementary activities: that of an
investor with Sofiprotéol, and industrial
activities structured in five business lines.
An overview and highlights.
A REVIEW
OF ACTIVITIES

€
SOFIPROTÉOL
Accelerating
our investment
in French sectors
€230 M
invested in 5 years
€25 M
invested in 2017
T
he finance and development arm of the Avril Group,
Sofiprotéol supports companies in the French and
European agricultural and agri-food sectors by
means of minority stakes and loans. Its aim is to support
their growth and competitiveness for the long term and
assure the future of national sectors. In 2017, increases in
its capital base and private debt fund offered more
resources to implement this mission and thus pursue its
role as a bridge between entrepreneurship in different
sectors and finance.
A €100 million increase in capital, proof of the
trust of our stakeholders and an opportunity
to broaden our shareholder base
At the end of 2017, Sofiprotéol successfully completed a
€100 million increase in capital thanks to contributions
from its historical minority shareholders¹ who for this
operation were joined by Arkéa (Crédit Mutuel) and
Groupama, through Gan Vie and five of its regional
branches. At the same time, Avril’s stake in Sofiprotéol fell
from 84% to 71%.
This operation, which increased Sofiprotéol’s capital base
to €450 million, was designed to improve its ability to invest
in, and support the development of, agribusiness and
agri-food companies active in France. Sofiprotéol also
supported innovation in these sectors by funding RD
projects initiated by the FASO² and investing in venture
capital funds such as Capagro). The value of each
investment can now reach €60 million – versus €40 million
previously – and Sofiprotéol aims to allocate €400 million
to its funding activities between now and 2022. This
improved flexibility will first of all benefit stakes taken in
order to reinforce existing partnerships or create new ones.
In January 2018, Sofiprotéol thus participated in an increase
in the capital of the LDC Group, specializing in the
processing and sale of poultry (Loué, Le Gaulois,
Maître Coq, Marie brands), to a value of €29.9 million.
Capagro Innovation
takes oﬀ
In 2014 Sofiprotéol contributed
€10 million to setting up the
first French venture capital
fund dedicated to financing
innovative startups in the
agriculture, food, bioenergies
and green chemistry sectors.
In October 2017, Capagro
Innovation completed a new
funding round which means it
now benefits from an
investment capacity of
€124 million, making it one
of the leaders in its sector
in Europe. These increased
resources will benefit new
stakeholdings (some twenty
in the long term) but also the
international growth of young
French AgTech startups that
are already receiving support.
For more details, go to:
www.capagro.fr
Support for more than
100companies, representing
105,000 jobs
. The historical shareholders
of Soﬁprotéol who participated
in this increase in capital were:
Crédit Agricole -via Idia Capital
Investissement-, Natixis,
Unigrains, Terres Univia
(interprofessional organization
for oilseed and protein crops),
ANAMSO (French Association
for Oilseed Seed Producers),
FNAMS (National Seed
Growers Association), FNA
(Federation of Agricultural
Traders), GTOM (French Group
for Oilseed Processors), SNIA
(National Union of Animal
Nutrition Industries).
2. FASO (Strategic Oilseeds
and Pulses Action Fund).
41.40.
Areviewofactivities

A dual purpose as investor and expert
in an attractive sector
The success of this increase in capital validated the strength
of Sofiprotéol’s model designed to serve agriculture and its
unique positioning in the French investment landscape.
Indeed, most of the ten or so members of its team originally
trained in agronomy or agriculture and finance. Much more
than an investor, Sofiprotéol thus capitalizes on a global vision
of the sectors in which it operates and on its detailed
knowledge of their actors so as to create a partnership
dynamic between companies in its portfolio, as well as
supporting them in their strategic projects. As an active
shareholder, Sofiprotéol thus has a seat on the Board,
Supervisory Board or Strategic Committee of each company.
Sofiprotéol Dette Privée doubles in size
A year ago, Sofiprotéol invested €25 million in setting up a
private debt fund so that it could respond to requests for long-
term loans in the form of bonds. With an initial endowment of
€120 million thanks to contributions from Tikehau Capital
(which manages this fund) and institutional investors,
Sofiprotéol Dette Privée then launched a new funding round in
2017 which means it can now cover commitments worth
€206 million. Since it started in the summer of 2016, the fund
has invested in 13 companies through interest-only loans or
the leverage funding of acquisitions.
Pursuit of the diversification of investments
Sofiprotéol made investments worth €25 million in 2017.
In upstream agriculture, the company continued to support
solutions that would enable farmers to produce more
efficiently and more competitively while respecting the
environment. Five years after it took its first stake in De
Sangosse, Sofiprotéol reinvested in the French group which is
the leader in developing plant adjuvants, preparations which
optimize the effectiveness of plant health products and thus
enable a reduction in their use. Its adjuvants also reduce
run-off and the risks of spray drift. De Sangosse is also
present in the biocontrol market, where its methods for crop
protection are based on the use of living organisms or natural
substances.
The dynamic growth of
Sofiprotéol and the inﬂuence
of its activities are more than
ever responding to our core
mission which is to create
value that will serve our
national and regional sectors.”
Collection and processing
of agricultural products
Upstream plant production
Upstream animal production
Investment funds
Food products and consumer
goods
Soﬁprotéol Dette Privée (debt
fund)
Sustainable innovation, other
38%
10%
9%
21% 15%
6%
Total
€234.2 M
Breakdown of
commitments in 2017
Agro Invest, partner in
the capital of SME
Set up in 2007 at the initiative of
Sofiprotéol, Agro Invest
provides financial and strategic
support for entrepreneurs in
French SME working in the
agri-food and agribusiness
sectors regarding their
consolidation and development
projects in France and
internationally. A long-term
investor, the company
intervenes in the form of
minority stakes. At present,
Agro Invest is supporting seven
companies in a variety of sectors
– the distribution of
delicatessen products to
retailers, wine production and
trading, cheese production,
institutional mass catering, the
operation of market gardening
greenhouses with a high energy
performance or the
manufacture of equipment.
For more details, go to:
www.agroinvest.fr
1%
Michel Boucly
Deputy Manager of Sofiprotéol
43.42.
Areviewofactivities

Sojalim, a 100% French
soybean project
Based in south-west France in
Vic-en-Bigorre
(Hautes-Pyrénées), the new
Sojalim³ crushing unit is
supplied by farmers in the
region who send it 25,000
tonnes of soybean a year, 20%
of which is grown organically.
Its processing – into oilseed
meal, oils and soybean hulls
– is assured on site by the
Sanders-Euralis facility.
Destined to supply livestock
farmers in south-western
France, its customers include
the Fipso cooperative, which
supplies pork for the
Carrefour Quality range, as
well as breeders of yellow
chickens in the Landes region.
All these actors can now
confirm to consumers that
their livestock are reared using
locally-produced, non-GM
soybean.
In the field of animal nutrition, the finance and development
arm of the Avril Group confirmed its commitment to
revitalizing the French non-GM soybean sector in July by
opening Sojalim³, a grain crushing unit in which Sofiprotéol
holds a 45% capital stake. It is situated in the
Hautes-Pyrénées region, on the same site as the
Sanders-Euralis cattle feed manufacturing facility which was
born of a partnership concluded in 2013 between Sofiprotéol
and the Euralis Group, a leading actor in French agriculture
and agri-food sectors. Sojalim thus increased processing
capacity for the French soybean sector after an initial
crushing unit had been set up in Eastern France in 2014,
in which Sofiprotéol also invested. The aim is to secure
supplies for French livestock farmers (cattle, pigs, poultry)
of high-quality and sustainable French vegetable proteins.
Increasing the share of vegetable proteins in the human diet
is another investment priority for Sofiprotéol. In 2017, the
company reinvested in Inveja, which ranks second in Europe
for lupin-based food ingredients Rich in proteins, lupin offers
considerable potential for its incorporation in bread and
pastries, notably those which are gluten-free.
The renewed trust
of our shareholders in 2017
was recognition of our
complementary expertise.
It validated the pertinence
of our investment choices
and the quality of our portfolio,
as well as our ability to support
the strategy and projects
of our partner companies.”
37stakeholdings
7intervention
sectors
. Sojalim received grants from
the Occitanie Regional Council
and from the European FEDER
program.
Claire Maingon
Director of Commitments,
Sofiprotéol
45.44.
Areviewofactivities

C
onfronted by contextual problems that affected its
principal activity, biodiesel, the Oilseeds
Processing Business Line has taken numerous
initiatives to diversity its activities, drive efforts towards
added value and increase its customer and market
potential.
An adverse economic climate
Upstream in the sector, the Oilseeds Processing Line
groups the processing of rapeseed and sunflower grain
(crushing, esterification, refining) and sale of the resulting
products (biodiesel, oils, oilseed meals and proteins).
In the biodiesel market, the sector was forced to deal with
a paradoxical situation in 2017. In a generally favorable
context, with abundant rapeseed and sunflower harvests
and sustained demand for biofuels throughout Europe,
the massive arrival of soybean biodiesel from Argentina
markedly destabilized the second half of the year. This
resulted from the European Union lifting the customs
barriers on Argentine biodiesel, combined with the
introduction of taxes on the import of this biodiesel into
the USA. The sector was unable to deal with unfair
competition from Argentine biodiesel arriving at an
equivalent (or even lower) price when compared to that of
the raw rapeseed oil used to produce biodiesel in France.
The result was an extreme drop in demand and pressure on
margins in a market that represents 70% of the oil produced
by the Group.
Managerial resilience and robustness
Faced with this situation, Saipol adapted its activities to
limit losses and improve its resilience: since March 2018,
temporary use has been made of part-time working at
several of its French sites in order to preserve the
competitiveness of its assets, the future of the sector and
its associated jobs; the grain purchasing process was
adjusted to gain in flexibility at all levels (scheduling,
volumes and prices); the operational excellence program
was pursued and helped to achieve savings worth
€11 million in 2017, more than half of them related to
optimized purchasing and logistical resources, and finally,
the reorganization of trading activities was completed in
order to ensure better risk control. This resilience was
epitomized by the excellent results achieved in terms of
safety in 2017, although even the focused commitment of
all employees was not able to prevent the fatal accident
that occurred in early 2018 at the Saipol site in Dieppe.
FeedMarket.fr, the
leading marketplace
for animal feeds
This was one of the Line’s
major innovations in 2017: the
launch of FeedMarket.fr, an
online marketing platform for
oilseed meals and raw oils for
animal feeds. Designed for use
by livestock breeders, feed
manufacturers and actors in
agricultural distribution, it
oﬀers all purchasers real-time
access to the prices of raw
materials so they can opt for
the most competitive
opportunities. It markets
products certified as being of
French origin, alongside some
imported items. Saipol’s
objective is to use this
platform to improve the
market penetration of
rapeseed meal in France and
to propose associated
services in synergy with
MiXscience.
Thanks to FeedMarket.fr,
Saipol meets the expectations
of its customers wanting to
access local vegetable
proteins while increasing the
penetration rate of rapeseed
meal. The platform also oﬀers
new connected services and
leverages MiXscience's animal
nutrition expertise, Sanders'
commercial networks as well
as its distribution partners.
€3.1 Bn
Turnover
11sites,
7 of them in France
Driving the international growth
of high added value products
OILSEEDS
PROCESSING
47.46.
Areviewofactivities

Valorizing the biodiesel market
In this difficult context, the Business Line continued to
invest in order to protect the future of “Biodiesel Made in
France” and raise the awareness of all actors by means of
an information campaign focused on Diester®
that was
launched in June 2017 and acknowledged by a Top/Com
Gold Award in March 2018.
So as to further highlight the environmental benefits of
biodiesel and to conquer new markets, Saipol launched a
biodiesel in 2017 that generates markedly lower
greenhouse gas emissions through the esterification of
sunflower grain, a product notably adapted to the demands
of the German market. Another major innovation concerned
B100, made using 100% French rapeseed. A new energy
“Made in France” and targeting captive fleets that will be on
the market as from 2018.
Driving new springboards for growth
In parallel, this activity pursued its development towards
new sources of added value in diversified and profitable
markets. Born at the start of 2017, the Avril Oil Ingredient
Solutions platform (Avril OIS) was reinforced through the
acquisition of Novastell, a French specialist in phospholipids
and essential ingredients, and marketed its first sunflower
lecithins produced at sites in Bassens in France and
Slobozia in Romania. These lecithins are highly sought after
by the agri-food industry. The Avril OIS platform is now
structured around three activities: refined oils (such as oleic
sunflower oil where Avril hopes to become the European
leader); ingredients with Novastell, and specialty oils with
Kerfoot, a British operator which joined the Group in 2016.
The platform builds on synergies between its different
actors and other Group entities – such as Oleon – to target
global markets and customers.
Novastell joins the Avril
OIS platform
The Normandy-based firm
Novastell, French specialist in
lethicins and phospholipids, has
supplemented the products and
know-how available via the Avril
Oil Ingredient Solutions
platform designed for global
customers from the agri-food,
cosmetics and nutraceutics
industries. Via this platform,
Avril is already oﬀering a
portfolio of refined oils,
specialty oils and functional
ingredients produced by Saipol,
Lesieur, Kerfoot and Expur. The
merger with Novastell, which
has considerable expertise in
nutrition, will favor numerous
other synergies and
complementarities.
The Mériot 4.0 plant
A first for the Group: the Saipol
plant in Mériot is becoming
digitized to improve its
performance. This is a pilot
scheme for Avril, which will be
deploying this project at its
Bassens and Grand-Couronne
sites in 2018. The idea is to
reduce the variability of
processes at source, thanks to a
system of sensors combined with
artificial intelligence. The result
is more stable processes,
improved yields, and ultimately
better product quality. These
advances also provide an
opportunity for operators to
enhance their skills, broaden
their roles and improve their
employability.
Our strategy is to valorize
our activities and accelerate
the transformation of our
business model by placing
greater emphasis on customer
orientation, the diversification
and internationalization of our
products and synergies within
the Group.”
Jean-Baptiste Bachelerie
General Manager of the
Oilseeds Processing
Business Line
49.48.
Areviewofactivities
From left to right: Olivier Tillous-Borde
(Director of Avril Oil Ingredient Solutions)
and Pierre Lebourd (Chairman and Founder
of Novastell).

50. 51.
However, 2017 saw a further deterioration in the regulatory
and market conditions that govern this activity. In particular,
the fall in anti-dumping duties introduced in 2013 by the EU on
Argentine soybean and Indonesian palm biodiesels removed all
obstacles to their massive import into France.
The harmful effects of this situation, aggravated by the
concomitant initiation by the USA of dissuasive duties (of around
70%), were immediate, and forced the Avril Group to introduce
part-time working measures.
Between September 2017 and March 2018, the EU thus imported
1 million tonnes of Argentine soybean biodiesel, raising fears of a
similar scenario concerning Indonesian palm biodiesel.
This unfair competition also accelerated the development in
European markets of hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) for the
production of biodiesel, favored by less expensive imports of
palm oil.
In this context, 2018 is a pivotal year and major decisions will now
determine the future of this sector, and notably the new
European Directive on Renewable Energies (RED-II) or the
measures that the authorities will be introducing to protect local
sectors from unfair competition.
Despite this unstable situation, Avril is nevertheless determined
to preserve a key market for French oilseed farmers that is crucial
to the circular economy and the lessons of the National Food
Conference.
Rapeseed grown in the French countryside, a pioneer of sectoral
working, has, thanks to oilseed biodiesel – a French invention –
enabled the combined production of a renewable energy source
and vegetable proteins for livestock feeds. These efforts serve
the food provision vocation of agriculture and its practical,
pragmatic and natural participation in energy transition.
FOCUS
For 35 years, the agricultural and industrial rapeseed biodiesel
sector has been contributing unceasingly to the development of
French agriculture, to the food sovereignty of France, the protein
and energy sovereignty of its regions and to economic dynamism
and employment in our countryside.
CULTIVATING THE
ADVANTAGES OF THE
FRENCH RAPESEED
BIODIESEL SECTOR
20,000jobs that cannot be relocated.1
1 L = 2 KGFor 1 liter of French rapeseed
biodiesel manufactured, 2 kg
of non-GM, protein-rich
oilseed meal is produced for
livestock feeds.
75,000
farmers.
55%
France’s independence in
vegetable protein for livestock
feeds. This has risen from 23% in
the early 1980s to 55% today
thanks to the development of
rapeseed cultivation. The EU
overall records a deficit of 70%.
€2 BnContribution of the sector to
France’s GDP1
.
60%Rapeseed biodiesel reduces
CO2 emissions by 60%2
when
compared to the fossil fuels it
replaces, as well as
signiﬁcantly reducing
particulate emissions3
.
€1.5 Bn
Saved each year on the import
of fossil fuels and oilseed meals
for livestock feeds1
.
1. PwC 2. ADEME 3. IFPEN
The strategy of the
vegetable oils and proteins
sector to serve renewable
energies is fundamental. B100,
a biosourced, plant-based
alternative that can fully
replace diesel, offers a new
frontier for Avril, that of a
renewable energy for the
future that is local and
traceable and also favors the
national production of proteins
that will serve the food
vocation of agriculture.”
Stéphane Yrles,
Secretary General
B100: a biosourced and
renewable alternative
to diesel
51.50.

OILS
CONDIMENTS
Accelerating the growth
of our brands
I
n 2017, Oils Condiments adopted a new
brand-focused strategy in support of Avril’s
repositioning in markets with high added value.
Interview with Olivier Delaméa, General Manager
of the Oils Condiments Business Line.
Counted from 2017, the Oils Condiments Line
has declared a single priority: to accelerate the
growth of its brands. Why?
O. Delaméa: Profitability in our business line is currently
driven by our brands: ISIO 4 and Puget in France, Lesieur and
Taous in Morocco, Bunica in Romania, Cristal in Tunisia, etc.
This has been possible because of their ability to differentiate
themselves from their market competitors. But if we are to
give our brands sufficient resources to innovate and be
increasingly appreciated by consumers, we need to find a
higher level of profitability in all activities of the Oils
Condiments Line. That is the overall challenge of our new
strategy, which is to create value where our brands will be
both the levers and beneficiaries.
Your strategy is clear: to increase profitability in
order to fund the growth of your brands. What
is the roadmap?
O. D.: We have fixed ourselves four goals. The first is clearly to
restore the profitability of Lesieur after a difficult year in
France. The second is to consolidate our leadership in
Morocco where our activities recorded two-digit growth in
2017. Indeed, Oils Condiments achieved generally excellent
results in our international markets. We then need to grow
our “nuggets” so that they will continue to contribute more to
creating value for the business line. I am referring to the
Compagnie des Saveurs and our subsidiary SPHB in Reunion
Island, as well as our activities in Algeria, Tunisia and Senegal,
and Expur’s bottling plants in Romania. Finally, we need to
deploy our efforts more rapidly beyond our current frontiers;
by accelerating our growth in olive oil markets worldwide and
targeting new regions for our other products.
And what about the future for non-branded
activities?
O. D.: They have a real role to play in the equilibrium of our
model once they become profitable. We manage them on a
case by case basis, depending on their ability to support our
strategy. In Morocco, an excellent example is that of lower
range products which offer good protection against our
competitors. These products can limit any levelling down of the
market and thus preserve the value of our brands.
4 LEVERS
TO SUPPORT
OUR STRATEGY
The Oils Condiments
Business Line is based on
several levers:
the commitment of its teams
to a common vision;
the optimization of costs to
further reinforce its ability to
invest for the future;
consolidation of the
foundations of our brands
(starting with quality);
and finally accelerating our
digital transformation, both
internally to gain in ﬂexibility
and externally to improve our
marketing and commercial
operations.
13sites,
of which 7 in France
€1.1 Bn
turnover
1.2 M
tonnes
of table oils sold
142,000
tonnes
of soap sold
36,000
tonnes
of sauces sold
53.52.
Areviewofactivities

N
o. 1 and No. 3 respectively in the French oils and
condiments markets, Lesieur is also present in
65 other countries with products that are adapted
to the habits of local consumers. In 2017, the excellent
performance of its international activities was
overshadowed by a difficult year in France because of
two concomitant factors: a marked rise in the price of
olive oil that could not be passed on to the market and, as
from July, the suspension of exports to Algeria, which
checked the excellent dynamic of mayonnaise products.
Brands that remain unique thanks to
innovation
By listening to the demands and also the habits of
consumers, Lesieur innovates through its recipes and
packaging, or even by creating new markets. The single goal
is to make a difference everywhere. In Tunisia, the
introduction of ketchup – previously unknown in this
country – was well received by the market. And Lesieur
rapeseed oil made from the first harvest of a new 100%
Tunisian rapeseed sector was also welcomed by the public,
notably thanks to its high omega-3 content. Mindful of the
need to respond to increasing demand for local products,
the brand also launched in France a sunflower oil produced
ISIO 4:
A REJUVENATED
BRAND IN 2018
A new formulation containing
linseed, a new bottle design
and new labeling… in 2018, the
leader in combined oils in
France will be giving new
impetus to its activities based
on major communication
campaigns. At the same time,
ISIO 4 is becoming a 100%
French product and an organic
version will soon be on the
market.
2017 AS SEEN BY ROMAIN NOUFFERT
General Manager of Lesieur (until 31 January 2018),
now General Manager of International Development for Oils Condiments
entirely in the southwest (Cœur de Tournesol 100%
Sud-Ouest) as an exclusive product with Système U
supermarkets. In the same region, Lesieur is preparing a
series of innovations for 2018, which will notably include a
new range of four sauces to satisfy the tastes of the whole
family, as well as the first egg-free mayonnaise – made
using vegetable proteins – for the vegan market.
For professionals in the out-of-home dining sector
(+5% volume in oils) where Lesieur faces competition
like elsewhere, it is continuing to innovate with better
performing frying oils and new sauce varieties.
Lesieur gained some new French customers in 2017,
such as Buffalo Grill and O’Tacos, and succeeded
in maintaining its good commercial relations with Quick,
which is now part of Burger King.
Focus on organic products
Puget’s organic range expanded (+18% in volume terms in
2017), with the launch of ISIO 4 and Cœur de Tournesol:
Lesieur prepared to accelerate its positioning in the
organic market for 2018 with a major innovation, because
the company has now succeeded in solving the problem of
the odor of its organic grain oils (rapeseed, sunflower)
which previously hampered their use as table oils.
China and Algeria: our new frontiers
Despite the dampener placed on this segment in 2017 due
to restrictions on imports into Algeria, condiments
recorded structural international growth. In Algeria, where
Lesieur is the market leader in mayonnaise, a dedicated
factory in partnership with the Djadi Group is scheduled to
open in the summer of 2018.
In 2017, Lesieur also laid the first foundations for
developing condiments in China, a country which loves the
French origin of its products, and its offer will be
completely new, including a sweetened mayonnaise.
The new ERP¹, a competitive advantage for
the future
As from 2018, the SAP tool will be improving the
operational flexibility of teams both at head office and in
factories thanks to this integrated management system.
The benefits anticipated include enhanced performance
throughout the supply chain, optimized commercial and
marketing actions and new functionalities for customers.
Lesieur is changing in
order to give itself
opportunities to make major
reinvestments in innovation,
its brands and conquering new
frontiers. We have a single
objective: to develop our
entire potential for growth.”
NOUVEAU
Une gamme huiles 100% relookée
MAD clients à partir de mi juin 2018
(Sans changement des codes EAN)
PMC* 18 2,99 € 1,99 €2,69 € 4,09 € 2,29 €2,29 €
0,5 L1L ISIO 4 Olive ISIO 4 NoixSqueeze 0,675 L Squeeze BIO 0,675 LISIO 4 Basilic
3,79 €
* Seul le distributeur reste libre de la fixation des prix
Marie Saglio
General Manager of Lesieur
. ERP is a computerized integrated
management system that can link all
functions in a company within the
same information system.
PMC* 18 2,99 € 1,99 €2,69 € 4,09 € 2,22,29 €
0,5 L1L ISIO 4 Olive ISIO 4 NoixSqueeze 0,675 L ISIO 4
NOUVEAU
PMC* 18 2,99 € 1,99 €2,69 € 4,09 € 2,29 €2,29 €
3,79 €
NOUVEA
PMC* 18 2,99 € 1,99 €2,69 € 4,09 € 2,29 €2,29 €
3,79 €
PMC* 18 2,99 € 1,99 €2,69 € 4,09 € 2,29 €2,29 €
0,5 L1L ISIO 4 Olive ISIO 4 NoixSqueeze 0,675 L Squeeze BISIO 4 Basilic
3,79
NOUVEAU
PMC* 18 2,99 € 1,99 €2,69 € 4,09 € 2,29 €2,29 €
NOUVEAU
3,79 €
55.54.
Areviewofactivities
Areviewofactivities

I
n Morocco, Lesieur Cristal produces and sells table oils
(rapeseed, sunﬂower and olive), margarine, hygiene
and beauty products and oilseed meals that the
company exports to nearly 40 countries. In a market that
was affected by volatile raw material prices and
aggressive competition, growth in these activities
nevertheless accelerated (+12 %). In 2018, Lesieur Cristal
is pursuing its strategy focused on reinforcing the
reputation of its brands (Lesieur, Al Horra, Huilor,
El Kef, Taous).
Reinforcement of leadership in Morocco
In July 2017, Lesieur Cristal acquired Indusalim, a Moroccan
company that owns strong brands that offer it a position in
the margarine segment (see insert opposite). In the hygiene
and beauty market, the Taous brand innovated to consolidate
its specialization. After soaps and shower gels, it invested in
the area of hair care with a plant-based formulation that
contains no silicone, paraben or colorant, focusing on wheat
protein as its lead ingredient. With this new range of natural
shampoos that respond to the demands of Moroccan
consumers, Lesieur Cristal is pursuing a major ambition in
this highly competitive market and has invested in a new
manufacturing and packaging line.
In parallel, to support the growth of table oils on both the
local market and at export, Lesieur Cristal developed a new
line of 5-liter PET containers for oil, which optimize export
freight costs by more than 20%. In the olive oil market, which
experienced a poor harvest in 2016/2017 and rising prices,
the company also equipped itself with a new crushing facility
with a capacity of 200 tonnes per day.
Pursuing growth of the Moroccan olive sector
In the context of the Green Morocco Plan, Lesieur Cristal
was involved in developing the Moroccan olive oil sector
through upstream integration and protection. The company
launched an olive grove planting program in the Marrakech
and Meknès regions that are reputed for the quality of their
olives. In order to favor integration with upstream agriculture
and development of its grouping program, Lesieur Cristal
draws strength from its specialized subsidiaries: the Société
d'Exploitation de l'Olive (630 ha), Domaines Jawhara
(540 ha) and Olivco (225 ha). In 2017, the latter benefited
from major investments which notably enabled the
construction of an irrigation plant and basin.
A NEW MARKET:
MARGARINE
Through the acquisition of
Indusalim, which counts
65 employees, Lesieur Cristal
has reinforced its position in
the fats segment. This comes
with excellent prospects for
growth in Morocco and
internationally. Since 1987,
when the first table margarine
was put on the Moroccan
market, Indusalim has become
the reference brand in the
segment, characterized by
high quality and innovative
products. Indusalim now
benefits from a strong
reputation. Its lead products
include: the Magdor brand,
aimed at consumers with a
love of ﬂavor, and the Ledda
range of pastry-making
margarines for use by
professionals, characterized
by sustained innovation and
an excellent price-quality
ratio.
2017 AS SEEN BY SAMIR OUDGHIRI IDRISSI
General Manager of Lesieur Cristal
Consolidating a culture of excellence
In September, Lesieur Cristal gave new impetus to its safety
dynamic by focusing on individual behaviors. Following an
external audit to identify levers for improvement,
300 employees adapted the new Safety Charter to the
specificities of their activities. In parallel, in the context of
the Operational and Strategic Excellence program (EOS)
implemented at Group level, the optimization of expenditure
and gains in productivity produced more than €2.5 million,
thus exceeding the initial goal of €2 million.
Supporting the Group’s international growth
Lesieur Cristal’s Moroccan olive oils are now sold in the USA
via professional channels (cafés, hotels and restaurants).
This was made possible by the creation in 2017 of a new
subsidiary, Lesieur Inc., based in Boston, whose mission is to
adapt Moroccan products to the consumption habits of
American households which are becoming increasingly
attracted to olive oil. The company draws strength from its
local management and the local partners who package and
distribute its products. Domaine de Kalea, the new brand
created especially for this market, received a Gold Award as
one of the World’s Best Olive Oils for 2017 at the prestigious
New York International Olive Oil Competition.
57.56.
Areviewofactivities
Areviewofactivities

I
n an edible oils market that has been shrinking in
recent years, the Untdelemn de la Bunica brand
confirmed its leading position. With its own crushing
unit for rapeseed and sunflower grains, Expur also sells
oilseed meals for animal nutrition and biodiesel. In 2017,
the subsidiary continued to reorganize its activities to
gain in profitability and balance its market positions
with a commercial goal: to stand out by creating more
value for customers.
Responding to an increasingly premium market
In recent years, Romanian consumers have been purchasing
less but better quality table oils, for three reasons: a slight
demographic downturn, an improvement in living standards
and greater consumer awareness to the benefits of a
healthy diet. In this context, the leading brand in the
country – Untdelemn de la Bunica – achieved excellent
growth (+15% in volume) thanks to a range of technical
products that enabled it to win over new consumers.
Although the market has until now mainly consumed
sunflower oil, it has gradually opened towards olive oil. For
this reason, and in partnership with Lesieur Cristal, in 2017
Expur launched an extra virgin olive oil called Zagora.
Currently in its test phase among major retailers in
Bucarest, the offer is gradually being deployed throughout
DIVERSIFICATION
BUILT ON SYNERGIES
WITHIN AVRIL
In order to open new markets,
Expur further developed
synergies with other entities
within the Group. The
subsidiary notably
collaborates with Lesieur on
the marketing of oil in the
Middle East, and with Saipol
on the export of oilseed meals
to Asia.
Since the opening in
September of a sunflower
lecithin production unit on its
site, Expur has also been
positioned in the ingredients
market for industrial
customers in the context of
the Group’s creation in early
2017 of the Avril Oil
Ingredient Solutions
marketing platform. Sold by
the company Novastell –
acquired by Avril in 2017 –
lecithin is a natural food
emulsifier that is highly
sought after by the agri-food
industry. It is notably found in
chocolate. When compared
with lecithins obtained from
other raw materials,
sunflower has the advantage
of being non-GM and
non-allergenic.
2017 AS SEEN BY PASCAL PINSON
General Manager of Expur
the country. The attractive Mediterranean design of its
bottle, and its price positioning, have underpinned the
success of its sales.
Development at export
The reallocation of oil production volumes hitherto sold by
distributor brands enabled Expur to continue growing its
B-to-B activity at export, with oils supplied in industrial
packaging. As well as Greece and Bulgaria,
commercialization is now extending to Saudi Arabia,
Lebanon and Israel, driven by innovation in favor of oils for
professional use, and notably high performance frying oils.
Seekingperformanceinbiodieselandoilseedmeals
Mainly positioned on the Romanian market, Expur’s
biodiesel activities maintained their advance and recorded a
good year, even though reopening of the European market
to Argentine soybean and Indonesian palm is reason for
caution in 2018.
In terms of rapeseed and sunflower meals for livestock
feeds, Expur pursued the development of its local market
through differentiation in terms of quality, and notably
protein content. Its production now supports 50% of the
needs of Romanian livestock farmers for vegetable proteins.
In parallel, finalization of the storage hubs enabled further
gains in performance.
59.58.
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Areviewofactivities

AVRIL
SPECIALTIES
Innovation, international activities and
customer orientation: the winning trio
T
he development of specialty skills is a strategic
challenge for the transformation of Avril. Whether
in Oleochemicals or Animal Specialties, the aim is to
identify profitable international growth markets and
propose a range of products and services that will create
value. This gamble paid off in 2017.
OLEOCHEMICALS
Encouraging results
A major actor in renewable chemistry, Oleon specializes in
transforming vegetable oils and fats into a broad range of
substances such as glycerin, fatty acids, esters, technical
oils and other specialties. These products and solutions
combine excellent performance and biodegradability.
Oleon’s ambition is to be a leading supplier of oleochemical
solutions for its customers throughout the world, placing
particular emphasis on proximity, innovation and
sustainable development. Oleon focuses its strategy on
developing specialty molecules with high added value.
Whether it is to supply lubricants for oil drilling, solvents for
the formulation of inks and paints or emulsifiers for use as
food additives or in cosmetic formulations, its products are
developed in partnership with its customers in order to
solve their specific technical problems.
In 2017, supported by recovery of the global economy and a
favorable environment for raw materials, Oleon achieved
encouraging results, with growth in almost all fields.
The company pursued its investment program designed to
improve and modernize its industrial facilities and logistic
tools. These improvements increased its ability to respond
to the most stringent demands and develop tailor-made
services for its customers, particularly with respect to
glycerin. The supply chain was the focus of an operational
excellence program in 2017, and included the introduction
of a centralized organization capable of delivering the right
product to the right place at the right time. These advances
have thus improved both its competitiveness and customer
service.
WELL.O®
,
lubricants for the
American oil industry
With a rise in the oil price per
barrel, activities recovered
well in 2017. Oleon was
already present in this market
with its high added value
lubricant products used in
drilling. In order to diversify
its portfolio and better adjust
to the specificities of the
North American market,
Oleon launched Well.o®
, a new
range of specialties targeting
both oil drilling and petroleum
and gas production.
Get to know Well.O and call our Oleon Oilﬁeld team at + 32 (0)9 341 10 11
or send us an e-mail at info@oleon.com for more info.
Tailor-made
Drilling, Completion and
Production chemicals
A new Oleon brand
www.oleon.com
Oleon_WellO_Advertentie_170x240.indd 1 1/03/18 15:34
OLEOCHEMICALS
6sites
in Europe and Asia
AVRIL ANIMAL
SPECIALTIES
10sites
in 6 countries, commercial
presence in more than
50 countries
€875 M
turnover
61.60.
Areviewofactivities

Activity Report Avril Group 2017

Activity Report Avril Group 2017

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