With Grafite, the InVivo group strengthens its position in the carbon market

In line with its strategic objectives of diversifying farmers' income and promoting low-emission farming practices, the InVivo group has been supporting the development of a low-carbon agricultural raw materials trading business for the past 5 years, as part of its intrapreneurship program. With a view to building a solid entity simultaneously capable of understanding regulations and their evolution in a booming market, convincing and advising agricultural cooperatives and their farmers, and acting as a trusted intermediary between producers and agro-industrial customers, the group and the team specializing in the field have made sure to achieve several key milestones, including: targeting an initial market (rapeseed, used in biofuel); signing up partner cooperatives; replicating the model on other commodities (sunflower, wheat, etc.); and rolling out the offer internationally.

In addition to the relevance of the objectives pursued and the pioneering character of this activity begun in 2018, the team involved has demonstrated the economic robustness of its model. It differentiates itself and innovates in its ability to integrate the various aspects of low-carbon agriculture by giving a clear strategic vision of opportunities to its suppliers and offering operational solutions for volumes and carbon risk to its customers. Today, it supports over 40 cooperatives in adapting to market constraints, qualifying, and certifying products, anticipating and identifying regulatory changes, advising and obtaining the best remuneration for farmers. More than 160,000 tons were valorized in 2022, making Grafite one of the European leaders in the sector.

"This ability to detect talent, stimulate innovation, build trust and loyalty is both a strength and a value for InVivo. With our support, the Grafite team was able to transform an idea into a strong project that has already proved its worth." Sébastien Graff, Chief Executive Officer in charge of HR, Communications and Strategic Projects at InVivo.

"The role of Soufflet Négoce by InVivo is to find the best market opportunities to add value to French major crops and ensure a fair income for farmers, while remaining in tune with the challenges of agricultural transition. By creating Grafite, we are providing an effective response to this dual objective. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to manage carbon risk independently of the products physically transported" Jean-François Lépy, Director of Soufflet Négoce by InVivo.

"In collaboration with traders from InVivo Trading [now Soufflet Négoce by InVivo] Noriap has been involved since 2018 in setting up a turnkey solution to support its farmer members in changing and adapting their practices towards fewer greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage sequestration. We were able to leverage these changes on the market thanks to InVivo. Today, we're pleased to have seized this opportunity and to be one step ahead in this field." François Loyau, Sector Manager, Noriap cooperative group.

Grafite is part of Soufflet Négoce by InVivo, a major European player in international trade, which brings together the grain trading activities of InVivo and Soufflet. The Grafite team is composed of: André Cunze and Clément Perez - co-founders and grain merchants; Enzo Barone - grain merchant; and Vanessa Frey - responsible for coordinating strategic projects.

About the intrapreneurship program 

The purpose of InVivo's intrapreneurship program is to support the Group's employees, in any business unit, from the initial idea to the development of a project and pitching to senior management. This is achieved by supporting intrapreneurs in validating their concept, researching market potential, developing a business plan and bringing together complementary profiles and expertise.