Company

A division of the ALVA group, ALVA FOOD is dedicated to the production of edible fats*: duck fat, goose fat, lard, beef dripping, virgin coconut oil, etc.

The ALVA group is a French group specializing in supplying animal and vegetable fats to many sectors: pet food, biofuels, food industry, distributors and restaurateurs.

The group has three production sites: Lisieux (Calvados), Issé (Loire-Atlantique) and Rezé (Loire-Atlantique).

ALVA FOOD is based on the Rezé site, near Nantes, and is exclusively dedicated to the food activity. We are located in the heart of French farming regions which allows us to collect and process fresh raw materials.

With 90 employees and 25,000 tonnes of products packaged a year, ALVA FOOD offers one of the largest ranges of edible fats in Europe.

* Fats are fatty materials that remain solid at room temperature, as opposed to oils which are liquid.

133 years of history

The common symbol for tallow, soap and candles, the drop in the ALVA logo finds its explanation in the group’s history.

• 1890

  Louis Mainguet created his first tallow melting company at Quai Ferdinand Favre in Nantes. At the time, animal fats and beef tallow in particular were used to make candles.

  After the First World War, the development of electricity led to the progressive disappearance of candles in homes. Animal fats were then used to make soap.

• 1945

  Destroyed by bombing, the factory was transferred to the current Rezé site.

  From the 1960s, the food industry sought partners capable of producing edible fats of consistent quality.

• 1965
  In Muret (Haute-Garonne), opening of the first SARIA plant, the pioneer in the production of edible animal fats.
  Rapidly, the MAINGUET and SARIA companies specialized and gained a dominant position in the food sector.
• 1983
  Installation of the first fat packaging line in Rezé.
• 2000
  The SARIA and ALVA groups pooled their resources and created CELYS, specializing in the packaging of edible fats.
• 2006
  The melting, refining and packaging activities were merged into one single company: ALVA SAS
• 2015
  CELYS became ALVA FOOD and launched a new brand targeting consumers and catering professionals: SUBLIM’.