• Anouar Invest begins $53M yeast plant project in El Jadida
• Factory to start in 2027, 30% output for export
• Plant to use 95% local raw materials, mainly molasses

Anouar Invest, a Moroccan agribusiness group, has started construction on a new plant in the Jorf Lasfar industrial zone in El Jadida province. The facility, announced on Wednesday, September 10, will produce fresh and dry yeast as well as food improvers for bakeries.

The project represents a 480 million Moroccan dirhams ($53.3 million) according to local media reports.

El Hachmi Boutgueray, CEO of Anouar Invest, stated that the factory will have an initial annual capacity of 25,000 tons, with the potential to expand to 58,000 tons. The company plans to dedicate 30% of its production to exports when the plant becomes operational in 2027.

“Our ambition is to build a leading national and regional player in the baking improver yeast industry, combining industrial excellence, biotechnological innovation, and sustainability," Boutgueray said at the official ceremony, which was attended by Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour and Agriculture Minister Ahmed El Bouari.

The company will source 95% of its raw materials locally, primarily molasses from sugar beets. This initiative will allow Anouar Invest to capture a larger share of the growing global market for baker's yeast.

According to Mordor Intelligence, a market research and consulting firm, the global baker's yeast market is valued at $1.21 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 8.17% to reach $1.79 billion by 2030.

This growth is driven by the premiumization of daily bread, the expansion of fast-food restaurants, and the rapid development of precision fermentation platforms, which are broadening the functions of yeast beyond leavening. Morocco, where wheat and its derivatives are a staple of the local diet, is no exception to this market expansion.

Stéphanas Assocle