Biopress: the heritage of expertise in vegetable oils and proteins
For nearly three decades, Biopress has established itself as a leading French player in the production of 100% plant-based oils and proteins. Located in Tonneins (Lot-et-Garonne), the company has developed strong industrial expertise in oilseed crushing and extrusion processes, primarily serving the food and nutrition industries.
Today, Biopress’s operations, know-how, and teams are fully integrated within the Berkem Group, thereby strengthening the Group’s value chain while preserving the technical and industrial identity of this historic site.
Biopress, an industrial venture born in 1987
Founded in 1987 and established in Lot-et-Garonne since its inception, Biopress has been based in Tonneins since 1991. The company is one of France’s leading producers of organic vegetable oils, extracted from oilseeds mainly grown locally.
Biopress thus became the largest 100% organic oil mill in France in terms of processing volume, with a packaging capacity of approximately one million liters of oil per year, mostly produced from raw materials sourced in Southwest France.
In addition to oil production, Biopress offers a range of valuable by-products, such as oil cakes for animal feed, lecithin, and plant proteins, which are particularly sought after in the nutrition sector.
An industrial site built around specialized expertise
Over the years, Biopress has been built around a human-scale organization and a high-performance industrial facility, capable of producing organic plant-based oils and proteins at every stage: crushing, extrusion, and vegetable oil bottling.
Over the years, Biopress has developed around a human-scale organization and an industrial setup adapted to the extraction, processing, and packaging of vegetable oils and proteins. This structure has enabled high operational responsiveness and a lasting, close relationship with industrial partners.
The crushing and extrusion of plant-based raw materials enable the company to meet a wide range of needs in demanding markets, particularly the food industry, as well as technical applications such as surfactants and bio-based lubricants.
Integration of Biopress within Groupe Berkem
A major turning point came in 2023 with the acquisition of Biopress by the Berkem Group, fully integrating its operations and expertise into a group specialized in plant-based chemistry. This acquisition enables the Berkem Group to expand its offering within the Health, Beauty & Nutrition business area by bringing in-house industrial capabilities for the crushing, extrusion, and vegetable oil bottling.
Alongside other group activities, this integration of Biopress alongside other group activities is beneficials to:
- Secure local supply of essential plant-based raw materials, particularly technical oils and plant proteins;
- Develop storage capacities to support industrial growth;
- To develop new sustainable solutions for the food industry market;
- Expand Groupe Berkem’s overall offering in line with its strategy for innovation and ecological transition.
Biopress today: heritage and perspectives
Today, the Biopress site in Tonneins continues its operations within Groupe Berkem, carrying forward an industrial and technical heritage built over more than thirty years. Beyond its history, this integration enables the continued development of high-performance bio-based solutions for rapidly growing sectors, while consolidating recognized French expertise in the production of vegetable oils and proteins.
Biopress: a name, a history, a sustainable expertise
The story of Biopress illustrates industrial know-how capable of evolving while maintaining its foundations. From an independent producer of organic vegetable oils to a strategic component of Groupe Berkem, Biopress remains a strong reference in the French plant-based industry, at the crossroads of innovation, industrial performance, and authenticity.
