Roquette
Roquette is a French family-owned company that develops plant-based ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients and related solutions for food, health and bio-based industrial applications.
Last updated September 25, 2026
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Overview
Roquette is a French plant-based ingredients and solutions company founded in 1933 by brothers Dominique and Germain Roquette in Lestrem, northern France. The company began by producing starch locally, initially using potatoes as its raw material. It describes itself as a private family-owned business and has grown into an international supplier serving customers through a global commercial network. Its offerings include plant-based ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients and solutions for food, health and bio-based industrial products. The company says it processes renewable agricultural raw materials—including corn, wheat, potatoes and peas—into more than 700 plant-based ingredients and products. Its health and pharmaceutical activities include drug-delivery solutions and active pharmaceutical ingredients, alongside consumer-health solutions. In food and nutrition, Roquette presents its plant-derived ingredients as supporting food quality and convenience. Roquette reports serving more than 5,000 customers in over 150 countries. It says it has more than 40 industrial sites and 20 research and development labs and innovation centers, with industrial operations in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Its global headquarters are in Lille, France. The company states that it employs more than 11,000 people and frames its work around using nature’s potential to support quality of life and sustainability. Its stated values are authenticity, well-being, forward-looking and excellence.
History
Roquette was founded in 1933 in Lestrem, in northern France, by brothers Dominique and Germain Roquette. The company began with local starch production using potatoes. Its early growth developed around processing agricultural raw materials into ingredients for industrial and food-related applications. In 1946, Roquette began producing corn starch for applications including paper and board. It built a potato-starch factory at Vecquemont in northern France in 1956; the official history says the site produces starches, proteins and fibers for several of the company’s markets. In 1957, Roquette began expanding in Europe by becoming a shareholder of Levantina Agrícola Industrial, S.A. (LAISA) in Benifaió, Spain. It became LAISA’s majority shareholder in 1970. The company’s history describes that site as processing corn into starches, dextrose, glucose and isoglucose for Spanish and Portuguese markets. Roquette inaugurated a site in Cassano, Italy, in 1962. The official history lists its output as including starches, dextrose, glucose syrups, fibers, proteins and oils, as well as fermentation products such as gluconates and biosuccinic acid. In 1975, the company constructed a site in Beinheim, eastern France, processing corn and wheat. The supplied history excerpt does not provide further detail on the site’s later development or on the company’s subsequent dated milestones. Roquette describes its later development as a global expansion while remaining privately held and family-owned. Its present-day company materials report a global headquarters in Lille, industrial operations in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and a commercial network serving more than 5,000 customers in over 150 countries. The company says it processes more than six million tons of renewable agricultural raw materials each year to make more than 700 plant-based ingredients and products. It reports more than 40 industrial sites, 20 research and development labs and innovation centers, and more than 11,000 employees. Today, Roquette presents itself as a provider of plant-based ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients and solutions for food, health and bio-based industrial products. Its stated focus includes innovation and sustainability, and its published values are authenticity, well-being, forward-looking and excellence. Its official homepage identifies Thierry Fournier as CEO in a company article.
- 1975
Beinheim site constructed
- 1970
Roquette becomes LAISA majority shareholder
- 1962
Cassano site inaugurated
- 1957
European expansion begins with LAISA investment
- 1956
Potato-starch factory built at Vecquemont
- 1946
Corn-starch production begins
- 1933
Company founded in Lestrem
Products and positioning
A global, family-owned provider of plant-based ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients and solutions, emphasizing innovation, quality of life and sustainability.
Plant-based ingredients
Ingredients made from renewable agricultural raw materials for food, health and bio-based industrial applications.
Pharmaceutical excipients and drug-delivery solutions
Pharmaceutical offerings intended to support drug delivery and patient well-being.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients
Active pharmaceutical ingredients are included in Roquette’s Pharma activities.
Consumer-health solutions
Solutions described by the company as supporting consumer-centric everyday well-being innovations.
Recent events
Roquette opens pea protein plant in Manitoba[5]
Reported:
Roquette opened a pea protein plant in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, which the company described as the world's largest. The facility has capacity to process 125,000 tons of yellow peas per year.
Sources5 sources
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