2021 was a record year for the certified French start-up B Corporation, which has become one of the main contributors to the growth of the French imitation meat market.. HappyVore has surrounded itself with partners who have invested more than 35 million euros to ensure its industrial and commercial development.
Launched in 2019 by Guillaume Dubois and Cédric Meston, HappyVore offers varied alternatives to meat. Products with very little saturated fat, environmentally friendly, which take up the codes of meat in flavor, in texture and cooking. Available in more than 2,000 points of sale nationwide, and in more than a thousand restaurants, the HappyVore range now includes 12 products. To continue its acceleration, HappyVore has decided to continue its industrialization and establish itself in the Center region. His choice fell on the town of Chevilly, on an agri-food site that the company is completely renovating. “We are very proud to launch this production site with more than 10,000 tonnes of capacity, which will allow us to increase our production capacities, to innovate further and increase the distribution of our products in France. We have been convinced since our beginnings that it is possible to create projects which have both a positive impact on the environment and which create jobs in France.. We are very grateful for the help and support of local actors such as the Prefecture and the Region and have a strong desire to move forward together. » Guillaume Dubois, co-founder HappyVore.
An investment of more than 35 million euros
To accelerate its ambitious development, HappyVore has partnered with Invus which, with the European family group Artal, supporting entrepreneurs in their expansion since 1985, and Europe, in the United States and Asia. Collectively, Artal and the entrepreneurs and partners who have supported the company since 2020 have invested more than 35 million euros. Among private investors, we find in particular Adrien de Schompré, co-founder of Sushi Shop, and Philippe Cantet, former director of Innocent. HappyVore has notably benefited from the BPI's recovery plan and France protein plan program., which allowed it to finance certain industrial investments. The company is also considering additional bank financing.
Local supply as an objective
The HappyVore team surrounded itself with all local stakeholders and trades to refurbish the site and give it new life.. The Center region, known for its agriculture, is a great welcoming place for young growth. “We are delighted with the choice of Centre-Val-de-Loire to realize the project of the HappyVore managers, which fits perfectly into the dynamics experienced by our agri-food sector.. A sector attentive to new consumption patterns, who innovates, recruits and invests. This project will also have a positive impact on the employment area of northern Orléans, but also from an ecological point of view thanks to the requalification of an industrial wasteland which will welcome new HappyVore employees in a few months”, declares François Bonneau, president of the Centre-Val-de-Loire region. The company has set itself the objective of having ever more local sourcing, and could ultimately benefit from the region's crops, cereals, sunflower, potatoes or even beets.
