Lallemand Specialty Cultures, a unit of Canadian company Lallemand focused on solutions for cheese, fermented meats, and plant-based alternatives, has revealed its role in Bel Group’s Cocagne Project.
The project will create fermented and ripened plant-based cheeses to enhance taste and nutrition, improve accessibility in price and distribution, and enable consumers to integrate plant-based foods into their diets without changing their habits. The research will focus on local, sustainable, and environmentally friendly plant-based ingredients.
Lallemand Specialty Cultures will contribute its expertise in microbiology and fermentation, combined with extensive experience in developing cultures for the dairy and meat sectors. The company will select specialized cultures that enhance the flavor, texture, and safety of plant-based products, helping to meet the needs of the market and support its evolution.
The Cocagne Project will last three years and represents a strategic investment of €9 million. It is led by Bel Group in partnership with Lallemand, Avril, and Protial. The project will be supported by Bpifrance through the France 2030 program.

“A significant challenge”
Lallemand is a global leader in the development, production, and distribution of microorganisms such as yeasts and bacteria. At the beginning of the year, it acquired Swiss biotech company Evolva AG through a subsidiary, Danstar Ferment AG. Like Lallemand, Evolva is focused on researching, developing, and commercializing natural yeast-derived ingredients.
In July, Lallemand partnered with Dutch ingredient supplier Exter for a strategic joint venture to develop advanced culinary flavor technologies for the North American food industry. The same month, Danstar Ferment invested in Livzym Biotechnologies, a Turkish company specializing in fungi-based enzymes for industrial use.
Earlier in December, Lallemand entered another strategic partnership with Dutch food technology company revyve to distribute the latter’s yeast-based food ingredients in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This makes Lallemand the exclusive distributor for revyve in North America.
“Developing ripened plant-based products is a significant challenge that requires us to rethink our traditional approach to the ecology of fermented products,” said Pablo Alvarez, Director of R&D at Lallemand Specialty Cultures. “We must create specific cultures tailored to the nutrients in plant-based raw materials while ensuring they produce the desired flavors, aromas, and textures.”