SFE Process raises €6m to pursue its international ambitions

Founded in 2015 and based in Tomblaine (54), the company specialized in manufacturing of equipment dedicated to the extraction and purification of molecules using supercritical CO2, an alternative to petrochemical solvents. With sales of €10 million, SFE Process aims to become one of the world leaders in sustainable chemistry in a constantly expanding market.

With Crédit Mutuel Equity leading the financing round, Bpifrance, Groupe ILP and private investor Gilles Caumont, the young Nancy-based company, leaded by entrepreneurial duo Jérémy Lagrue and Brice Sarrail, raised a Series A capital to accelerate the democratization of its technology in France, as well as on the international market, expectly in North America. The managers, who remain the majority shareholders, have also opened up the capital to employees.

SFE Process is the leading French company in the sustainable chemistry sector, with two main areas of expertise: R&D process and the supply of standard extraction equipment from laboratory to industrial scale. The company's main markets are pharmaceutical, perfumery and cosmetic. But beyond the traditional markets for supercritical extraction, there are numerous applications ranging from the cleaning and sterilization of medical devices to the tanning of leather by direct impregnation without water, and the recycling of complex materials such as plastics.

Supercritical CO2, also known as "green solvent", is a recycled fluid with a neutral carbon impact. Proven for over fifty years, this technology is widely used for decaffeinating coffee and extracting the compound responsible for cork taint in cork stoppers. Above a certain pressure and temperature, it reaches the supercritical state, the 4th state of matter between liquid and gas. Acting as a natural solvent, it can be used to extract and purify various molecules, simply by varying pressure and temperature. This method replaces the use of petroleum solvents such as hexane, which are harmful to both humans and the environment. Extraction takes place at low temperature and leaves no solvent residues in the extract, thus preserving product quality and consumer health.

Over the next five years, the company has set itself the goal of continuing to standardize its range of extraction equipment, while making it even more competitive, and to diversify its business, with the recent launch of supercritical CO2 preparative chromatography (SFC) equipment.

"After eight years of hyper-growth, supported both by the company's own funds and the backing of banking and institutional partners, and a team of 44 highly committed employees, we want to accelerate our development on international markets, which already account for over 60% of sales. We are delighted to conclude this significant fundraising of 6 million euros, a first in our brand, surrounded by four major investment players, sharing the same CSR values and long-term oriented philosophy", explain founders Jérémy Lagrue and Brice Sarrail.

"SFE Process is a young company that has been profitable since its inception - sales have tripled between 2020 and 2022 - and has a strong capacity for innovation. It offers excellent growth prospects in a dynamic market, driven by the ESG policies of major pharmaceutical groups, which are aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030. This 'green chemistry' with a bright future is in line with the mission of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, committed to a more sustainable economy that respects its environmental impact", adds Romain Peiffer, Investment Director at Crédit Mutuel Equity.

About Crédit Mutuel Equity :

Crédit Mutuel Equity brings together all the private equity activities of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale: Capital Développement, Capital Transmission and Capital Innovation.

Crédit Mutuel Equity provides capital support to managers at all stages of their company's development - from start-up to transmission - giving them the resources and time they need to implement their transformation projects. Crédit Mutuel Equity brings together more than 350 managers who share their convictions and their questions within a genuine network of entrepreneurs, offering each of them, whatever the nature of their project, the assurance of benefiting from the experience of others. By investing its own capital (4 billion euros), Crédit Mutuel Equity finances company projects over time horizons adapted to their development strategy, in France as well as in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Canada.

For more information: www.creditmutuel-equity.eu

About Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale :

Bancassureur de premier plan en France, avec plus de 77 000 collaborateurs au service de plus de 30 millions de clients, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale propose une offre multiservice à une clientèle de particuliers, de professionnels de proximité et entreprises de toutes tailles, via ses 4 500 points de vente. Figurant parmi les plus solides groupes bancaires européens, ses capitaux propres s’élèvent à 56,7 milliards d’euros et son ratio de CET1 est estimé à 18,2 % au 31 décembre 2022. Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale regroupe les caisses de Crédit Mutuel des fédérations Centre Est Europe (Strasbourg), Sud-Est (Lyon), Ile-de-France (Paris), Savoie-Mont Blanc (Annecy), Midi-Atlantique (Toulouse), Loire-Atlantique et Centre Ouest (Nantes), Centre (Orléans), Normandie (Caen), Dauphiné-Vivarais (Valence), Méditerranéen (Marseille), Anjou (Angers), Massif Central (Clermont-Ferrand), Antilles-Guyane (Fort-de-France) et Nord Europe (Lille). Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale regroupe également la Caisse Fédérale de Crédit Mutuel, la Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM) et l’ensemble de ses filiales, notamment le CIC, Euro-Information, les Assurances du Crédit Mutuel (ACM), TARGOBANK en Allemagne, Cofidis, Beobank en Belgique, la Banque Européenne du Crédit Mutuel (BECM), Banque de Luxembourg, la Banque Transatlantique et Homiris.

More information on www.creditmutuelalliancefederale.fr

About Bpifrance

Bpifrance's equity investments are managed by Bpifrance Investissement. Bpifrance finances companies - at every stage of their development - with credit, guarantees and equity. Bpifrance supports them in their innovation and international development projects. Bpifrance also supports their export activities through a wide range of products. Consulting, university, networking and acceleration programs for startups, SMEs and ETIs are also part of the services offered to entrepreneurs. Thanks to Bpifrance and its 50 regional offices, entrepreneurs benefit from a single, close and efficient contact to help them meet their challenges.

For more information: www.Bpifrance.fr - https://presse.bpifrance. About Groupe ILP

Groupe ILP is a regional player in the field of strengthening the equity capital of companies in the Grand-Est region. As a local capital investor, Groupe ILP provides equity and quasi-equity financing by acquiring minority stakes in company capital. Groupe ILP benefits from a tripartite shareholder base: public (Lorraine Region, Bpifrance), banking (Banque Populaire, Caisse d'Épargne, CM-CIC...) and corporate (EDF, ArcelorMittal, Areva, Michelin...).

More information on www.groupe-ilp.com

Press contact SFE Process :

Emilie Laporte Ernewein - elaporte-ernewein@sfe-process.com - 06 51 55 51 32

Crédit Mutuel Equity

Véronique Richez-Lerouge - v.richez-lerouge@reso-media.com - 06 14 63 90 00

Bpifrance

Juliette Fontanillas – Juliette.fontanillas@bpifrance.fr - 06 72 76 08 09

Groupe ILP

Maxime Liegeois – maxime.liegeois@groupe-ilp.com