Spirulina, this microalgae with multiple virtues, in particular its natural contribution of proteins and different vitamins, which caused so much talk about it a few years ago… Where is it today? If the French consume 400 tonnes of it, 90% of it comes from Asia… To the point that the Federation of Spirulina Makers of France calls on its site for caution in the face of false claims on certain products.
Aware of all this, Michel Couderc, an agricultural engineer by training, still decided to launch into his culture, and even into innovation, to take up the challenge.
“There are two types of model. On the one hand, that of the Indians, Americans or Chinese, on a large scale, notably with drying at 200 degrees in China which makes the molecules explode. On the other hand, the French, essentially small farms, with a lot of manual and expensive tasks”summarizes this former wine marketing executive who has been renting 5,800m² of greenhouses in La Farlède for two years, including 5,200 ponds.
“This makes it the second largest farm in France and the first in the region”assures the spirulina maker who has already released a range of “demonstrator” products, tablets, biscuits made in partnership with local players, mixtures intended for athletes…
The purpose of his baptized company Spirulines Productions? Use this showcase to attract manufacturers likely to order large quantities.
Industrial process
Because the engineer has developed a machine which, by reversing the agri-food process, extracts waste in a production line.
“There, it’s the opposite, the machine recovers the algae with very little culture medium. In other words, the water in which it develops, i.e. a rate of 25% dry matter compared to 20% usually, explains the manager. However, what can give a bad smell and an overly strong taste is precisely this part of the growing medium, which must be dried out in the process.”
His machine, well kept in the technical room of the farm supplied by water from the Canal de Provence, and for the development of which he is accompanied by the INPI, also allows rapid harvesting, with a capacity of 20 tonnes per year in cream form, its flagship product.
Spirulines Productions is also looking for
points of sale for its products.
“It can be eaten like butter, but also act as a flavor enhancer in a dish. Besides, I am looking for chefs who would be interested in developing recipes.”
The capacity is 5 tonnes per year in the form of flakes, the most common on the market, after gentle drying to preserve the active ingredients. “The fact that we take very little culture medium also allows us to offer higher concentration rates in our products because we do not have the problem of taste and odor that other processes may encounter. This is a real innovation”adds Michel Couderc, accompanied since 2021 by the Paca-Est incubator and which is also part of the Innov’Alliance cluster, whose Nice branch follows it closely.
Tablets without adjuvants
Spirulines Productions, financed by its own funds and by loans, also acquired a machine which produces tablets, composed of 100% spirulina “without adjuvants”.
At the rate of a daily harvest in summer then weekly and monthly in winter, without heating the greenhouses, the farm – not yet profitable but with a team of three employees including an engineer responsible for production – is today prospecting for customers but also industrial partners to move up a gear.
“I am also ready to commercialize my technology”adds the entrepreneur convinced of the future of French spirulina, and of the development that it can experience thanks to this machine capable of harvesting quickly, while limiting the removal of the culture medium.
The Var, land of spirulina
If we are to believe the website of the Association of Spirulina Makers of France, the Var is a fertile land for this cyanobacteria. Seven farms are in fact listed in the department, making it one of the best endowed in France.