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Summary of our market study
Second most produced cereal in the world with over 735 million tonnes
The organic wheat segment in France has shown strong momentum, with wheat accounting for 36% of organic field crop volumes.
France remains a key player in the wheat market, ranking 6th worldwide for production and maintaining a positive trade balance.
In Europe, wheat accounts for 45% of total cereal production. The European Union alone produces around 150 million tonnes of wheat a year.
Demand trends on the French wheat market
Wheat consumption remains a key element of human dietary habits, serving as the basis for essential food products such as bread, cookies and pasta. Around 60% of the flour produced in France is used in the bread-making industry. The market is driven by the booming bakery and cookie industry. Despite a temporary dip due to the pandemic, sales in bakeries and pastry shops are rising steadily. 95% of French people eat bread at least once a week.
Almost 30% of wheat production is destined for the animal feed market. Wheat is an excellent alternative to oilseeds for animal feed, thanks to its low water content and high protein content.
France, for example, is a major wheat exporter ($4.1 billion in a good year). Algeria is the leading import destination, accounting for 29% of French wheat exports, followed by Belgium and the Netherlands.
The main players in the wheat and flour production market
The wheat and flour production market is home to a wide range of players, from agricultural cooperatives to private entities and specialized animal feed producers. These companies play a role in the various market segments, from wheat cultivation to processing and distribution.
- Agricultural cooperatives Agricultural cooperatives have a strong market presence. They represent the collective interests of farmers and play a crucial role in wheat production and distribution.
- Axereal, one of the leading cooperatives, not only helps its member farmers grow wheat, but is also actively involved in wheat processing and distribution worldwide.
- Invivo, a major cooperative group, enhances market strength and stability through the multitude of services it offers its farmer members, by engaging in the trading and marketing of agricultural products.
- Le Gouessant and Vivescia provide the resources, services and distribution channels needed to keep the market running smoothly.
- Axereal, one of the leading cooperatives, not only helps its member farmers grow wheat, but is also actively involved in wheat processing and distribution worldwide.
- Private groups - Private groups in the sector include Bellows and Advens, companies that have carved out a place for themselves in the market.
- Feed producers - Feed producers such as Nuwen Animal Nutrition and Euralis have specialized in the market, focusing primarily on the production of high-quality feed for livestock. This specialization enables them to respond precisely to the needs of the livestock sector, thus contributing to the overall efficiency of the wheat market.
- Feed mills - The market for processed wheat flour is covered by feed mills. These mills play a fundamental role in transforming raw wheat into flour, which is an essential ingredient in many food products consumed worldwide. Specialized mills like these meet the demand of bakers and other food producers, ensuring a steady supply of this essential product.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
Wheat is a cereal of the grasses used for human consumption and to a lesser extent for animal feed. The human consumption (bread, biscuits, flour-based products and raw wheat) represents the main outlet with nearly 60% of the harvest This is followed by animal consumption at nearly 30%. The other outlets are linked to u industrial sages (starch and gluten) as well as to substrate uses for the biofuel and bioethanol production .
There are two types of wheat on the market:
- Durum wheat It is produced mainly in Europe, North America and the Middle East, is very rich in gluten and is used for the production of semolina and pasta.
- Soft wheat/bromegrass The most important one is produced in China, India, Russia, the United States and France to make flour for bread.
The wheat sector is concentrated around producers, processors and distributors. Producers can be individual farmers or larger farms. In France, these farmers are generally members of cooperatives which collect, process and sometimes distribute . The remainder of the distribution is carried out exclusively in the networks of mass distribution . At the global level, the China is the leading producer of wheat with over 130 million tonnes produced (i.e. about 18% of the total), ahead of India, Russia, the United States and France.
The sector is essentially made up of large agricultural cooperatives, generating several million euros in turnover and themselves bringing together farms and individual farmers. These players are looking for export growth drivers because it is complicated to maintain and improve margins in France under pressure from large distributors who do not want to impact on consumer price increases.
The wheat sector is an underlying market of the cereal sector which is a volatile market as it depends on several exogenous factors influencing volumes and prices. In France, a 34% growth compared to 2017 was observed in soft wheat production with a volume of exploitation representing more than 10% of the total area of France (soft wheat representing almost 20 times the production of durum wheat in France). The wheat market is subject to climatic conditions but also to political measures (financial aid) and legislative measures impacting the way of production and the necessary quality.
List of charts presented in this market study
- Production de céréales par type
- Production de blé par pays
- Exportations de blé par pays
- Répartition de la farine du marché français en fonction de son utilisation
- Sales trends for bakeries/pastry shops by year (NAF code: 10.71)
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Latest news
Beer: now world leader, Soufflet wants to make malt greener - 15/11/2023
- Malteries Soufflet has acquired 100% of Australia's United Malt through a €1 billion investment.
- Following the purchase, the division of the InVivo group became number one in the sector, with 41 plants and a quarter of the world market.
- Malteries Soufflet has opened operations in new countries, including North America and Australia.
- Craft beers account for 15% of beer sales worldwide
- Malteries Soufflet expects craft beer consumption to pick up again in less than two years
InVivo, the cooperative turned giant - 04/07/2023
- InVivo is an agricultural cooperative giant with sales of 12 billion euros.
- InVivo reaches agreement to buy United Malt Group (UMG)
- The purchase of UMG is estimated at over 1 billion euros
- Following this transaction, InVivo will become the world's leading maltster.
- The global beer market, in which malt is a key ingredient, is experiencing dynamic growth.
- InVivo doubled in size following the merger with family giant Soufflet, reaching sales of over €10 billion.
- InVivo has over 13,000 employees and more than 90 industrial sites.
- It was formed from the union of 185 agricultural cooperatives.
- InVivo owns 76% of Teract, a distribution subsidiary.
- The initial merger that led to the creation of InVivo took place in 2001 between Sigma and Uncaa.
Beer: Malterie Soufflet wins United Malt and becomes world champion - 03/07/2023
- Malteries Soufflet has become the world leader in malt, with almost a quarter of the global market.
- The company paid 1.5 billion Australian dollars (nearly 1 billion euros) to acquire United Malt Group, the 4th largest malt company in the world.
- With this purchase, Malteries Soufflet has doubled its activities.
- The purchase adds 12 processing plants to Malteries Soufflet's list of 29 industrial sites, located in Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Beer: €1 billion takeover bid by Malteries Soufflet for Australian malt champion - 31/03/2023
- Acquisition of United Malt Group (UMG), the world's fourth-largest malt producer, for 1 billion euros
- - Malteries Soufflet sales after acquisition: 2.2 billion euros
- - Worldwide malt market share after acquisition: approx. 20%
- - Annual growth in beer market: 2 to 3%
- - Sales of InVivo, owner of Soufflet: 12 billion euros
- - InVivo: operations in 38 countries, 90 industrial sites, including 63 in France
- - 93% of malt used by the beer industry
France's InVivo soon to be world malt leader - 31/03/2023
- Recent acquisition of La Malterie du Château by InVivo.
- Exclusive negotiations between Malteries Soufflet and United Malt Group (UMG) for a potential takeover.
- The deal could be finalized within three to six months.
- InVivo has sales of 12 billion euros.
- Malteries Soufflet would become the world's leading maltster, with annual production of 3.7 million tonnes and a 20% market share.
- UMG valued at 1 billion euros
- Expected beer market growth of between 2.5% and 5% over the next five years.
- According to IWSR, beer accounts for 75% of global alcohol volumes.
- Whisky market growth between 5% and 6% per year.
- Geographical complementarity between Malteries Soufflet (Europe, Latin America, Africa) and United Malt Group (Australia, Canada, New Zealand).
The InVivo group creates a wheat division called Episens - 06/02/2023
- More than 2400 employees
- 24 production sites
- Division sales €892 million in 2021-22
- With Episens, creation of the wheat division with the merger of Invivo's milling activities with Moulins Soufflet, and the ingredients activities of AIT ingrédients and Soufflet Biotechnologies
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