Our History
In 1933, brothers Dominique and Germain Roquette founded the company in Lestrem, France, to produce starch locally. We remain a private family-owned company and have expanded globally.
Our journey of growth
With our global headquarters in Lille, France, today Roquette boasts industrial operations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, providing us with a robust footprint. Through a global commercial network, we serve more than 5,000 customers in over 150 countries worldwide. We process more than six million tons every year of renewable agricultural raw materials (including corn, wheat, potato and pea) to produce more than 700 different plant-based ingredients and products.
- 1933 – Roquette was founded in Lestrem in the north of France by Dominique and Germain Roquette. Its initial raw material was potato.
- 1946 – Roquette started producing corn starch for applications including paper and board.
- 1956 – Roquette constructed a potato starch factory in Vecquemont, in the north of France. The site produces starches, proteins and fibers for many of Roquette’s markets.
- 1957 – Roquette started expansion in Europe and became a shareholder of Levantina Agrícola Industrial, S.A. (LAISA) in Benifaió, Spain, eventually becoming the majority shareholder in 1970. From its raw material of corn, the site produces starches, dextrose, glucose and isoglucose for the Spanish and Portuguese markets.
- 1962 – Roquette inaugurated its site in Cassano, Italy. The site transforms corn into starches, dextrose, glucose syrups, fibers, proteins, and oils. It also produces fermentation products (gluconates and biosuccinic acid).
- 1975 – Roquette constructed its site in Beinheim, in the east of France. From corn and wheat, it produces starches, glucose syrups, proteins, fibers and gluten, as well as bioethanol.
- 1982 – Roquette expanded its footprint in the United States of America with the construction of a sorbitol plant in Gurnee, Illinois. The site produces polyols (sorbitol, maltitol and xylitol) from the glucose delivered from Roquette’s Keokuk, Iowa, site.
- 1986 – Roquette started producing wheat starch in Lestrem.
- 1989 – Roquette acquired its facility in Vic-sur-Aisne, France.
- 1991 – Roquette acquired its facility in Keokuk, Iowa, USA. This site produces starches, glucose syrups, polyols (sorbitol, mannitol and maltitol), proteins and fibers from corn.
- 2001 – Roquette’s expansion into Asia began in the early 21st century, with the creation of its site in Lianyungang, China, in 2001, where it produces starches, maltodextrins, dextrose, glucose syrups, polyols (sorbitol and maltitol), proteins and fibers from corn.
- 2005 – Roquette inaugurated its first pea protein plant in Vic-sur-Aisne, France.
- 2006 – Roquette’s expansion in Asia continued with a shareholding in India’s Riddhi Siddhi Gluco Biols Ltd, eventually becoming the sole shareholder in 2014.
- 2011 – Roquette’s partnership with Amilina in Panevėžys, Lithuania, began, before it became part of the Group in 2014. This site produces starch, glucose syrup, protein and fiber from wheat.
- 2011 – Roquette opened an innovation center in Geneva, Illinois, USA.
- 2016 – Since 2016, the Beinheim site has been operated by a geothermal power unit and a biomass boiler, which provide more than two-thirds of its heating needs.
- 2017 – Roquette announced completion of the acquisition of Itacel, a leading player in the pharmaceutical excipients market in Brazil and Latin America. The site in Brazil produces microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium and sodium starch glycolate from cellulose, corn starch and potato starch.
- 2017 – Roquette opened new offices and an innovation center in Singapore.
- 2018 – Roquette announced the expansion of its Food Customer Technical Services (CTS) Center in Tokyo, Japan.
- 2018 – Roquette completed the acquisition of Sethness Products Company (now known as Sethness Roquette) after enjoying two successful joint ventures in France and in China with Sethness Products Company, a family business founded in the United States in 1880.
- 2019 – Roquette opened a Food Customer Technical Services (CTS) Center in Singapore.
- 2019 – Roquette opened a new Food Innovation Center, including R&D and CTS, in Shanghai, China.
- 2019 – Roquette opened a new R&D laboratory center in Panevėžys, Lithuania.
- 2021 – Roquette opened the world's largest pea protein manufacturing site in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada.
- 2022 – Roquette completed the acquisition of India-based excipient manufacturer, Crest Cellulose.
- 2023 – Roquette opened a Food Innovation Center in Lestrem, France, to provide formulators with a large range of capabilities, including technical and R&D support, cutting-edge equipment, labs and scale-up testing.
- 2023 – Roquette completed the acquisition of Qualicaps. With its 1,400 employees and know-how, this acquisition expanded our pharma offering to include hard capsules.
- 2025 – Roquette finalized the acquisition of IFF Pharma Solutions, the largest in our 92-year history. With this acquisition, Roquette has become a pharma champion that will be the world’s reference in innovative pharma and healthcare solutions that address complex challenges in drug delivery and patient care.