GEA is commissioned by leading French dairy and beverage producer to build a plant for processing oats, rice and soy

All process steps, from the raw material intake of grains and flour to in-line standardization, will be incorporated into the plant, which is scheduled for stepwise commissioning from mid-2022. What’s more, GEA will supply a pilot plant for product development. The project is associated with a European protein research center and subsidized under a national economic stimulus program.

Based in the Centre-Val de Loire region, LSDH is an independent French family business that was originally established as a dairy but now produces and packages a variety of beverages and liquid foods, which are mainly retailed as store brands in the country’s major supermarket chains. With GEA’s process technology, LSDH aims to further expand its position on the market for plant-based beverages. The new plant, which is being built at the company’s headquarters in Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel, is part of a EUR 300 million investment program to modernize LSDH’s production infrastructure.

For the first time, LSDH will be able to extract the oat, rice and soy concentrates on its own production line. “LSDH is significantly expanding its vertical range of manufacture. We feel very honored that the company has chosen to partner with GEA in taking this important step,” says Luc Gillis, who heads GEA’s business in France and the Maghreb countries. “Throughout its history, LSDH has proven that it is not only highly attuned to consumer trends but also has the foresight as a business to unreservedly embrace change. When milk quotas were introduced in 1984, LSDH began using its technology to process other foods. Now, the company is once again investing in its infrastructure and its fitness for the future. In view of the uncertainty created by the pandemic, this decision deserves the greatest respect.”

While LSDH already operates several GEA UHT plants, the process engineering group will be responsible for all aspects of planning and equipping the new plant. Thanks to the results of the successful test series conducted at the test centers in Ahaus and Oelde, GEA and the customer have finalized the concept, gauged plant performance and established a framework for the contract. “At our test centers, we prove that we can bridge disciplinary divides and get our technology and process experts on the same page to integrate the best ideas into a customized concept. That was key to winning this project,” says Kroner. In addition, experience gained on similar projects in China, Australia and Spain helped in planning the process. Most recently in 2019, GEA fitted out an end-to-end soybean extraction plant for one of China’s largest dairy manufacturer.