Lesaffre, an independent French key global player in fermentation and microorganisms, and Zilor, a privately held Brazilian multinational that produces sugar, ethanol, renewable electric energy, and natural ingredients for animal nutrition from sugarcane processing, completed the acquisition by Lesaffre of a 70% stake in Biorigin, a business unit of Zilor. This leads to the creation of a joint venture that will leverage Biospringer by Lesaffre and Biorigin’s complementary capabilities and competencies to enable enhanced yeast derivatives and savory ingredient solutions for food and feed markets.

By combining strengths, Lesaffre and Zilor will unlock significant mutual benefits to deliver enhanced natural yeast-based ingredient solutions to customers around the world. This innovative partnership will accelerate the delivery of customer-centric solutions. It will rely on common values, recognized sales and technical expertise and on a global industrial network including Biorigin's production unit in Quatá/São Paulo, combined with a vertical and sustainable supply chain.

Zilor will continue to run its production unit for ethanol and brewer’s spent yeast for animal nutrition. The yeast-based products for pet and livestock nutrition produced at the Lençóis Paulista (SP) and Macatuba (SP) facilities will remain under the management and commercialization of Zilor.

Lesaffre’s business units will benefit from this joint venture and will reinforce their position as key players in the human food, animal nutrition, pet supplement and aquaculture markets. The Quata/Sao Paulo site has leading performance in carbon neutrality as a result of using biomass as an energy source. Moreover, Lesaffre and Zilor remain strongly committed to minimizing their environmental impact through the implementation of best practices and ongoing enhancements.

The strategic partnership between Lesaffre and Zilor was first jointly announced on October 4, 2024.