Groupe Sica Atlantique

What Groupe Sica Atlantique does

Groupe Sica Atlantique (SICA Atlantique) is a French agricultural cooperative interest company (Société d'Intérêt Collectif Agricole à capital variable), founded in 1957 by approximately 80 grain storage operators who established the first French port silo dedicated to grain exports at La Rochelle. The group operates as a port logistics platform for the regional agricultural and agro-industrial economy on the French Atlantic coast, organized into 6 divisions and 10 activities: cereal grain terminals (La Rochelle-Pallice and Tonnay-Charente, #2 French grain export terminal handling ~3 million tons per year with 300,000 tons of storage capacity), fertilizer logistics via ATENA, dry bulk and breakbulk handling through the EVA joint venture with Maritime Kuhn (760 meters of deep-water berths over 25+ hectares), liquid bulk storage via SISP (85,000 m³ across 6 sites, SEVESO 3 Seuil Haut certified), ship brokerage (Allfast-Shipping), ship agency (Agence Maritime Thomas), port handling and stevedoring (Delpech Maritime), road freight brokerage (ATOL, coordinating 150+ carriers), green chemicals via the EnviroCat Atlantique joint venture with Groupe Alkaline/Nippon Soda (25,000 tons/year mercury-free sodium methylate for biodiesel), and a wood recycling/biomass platform (Valavelona).

The business model is B2B professional services delivered against multi-year contractual arrangements, priced by quote on volume, service type and duration with no public pricing. Revenue is generated through handling fees, storage charges, brokerage commissions, maritime agency fees, road logistics commissions, and chemical product sales. Ownership is cooperative rather than equity-based: members are regional agricultural cooperatives (Axereal, Ocealia, Charentes Alliance, CAVAC) and grain operators, with Louis Tercinier as Président and Vincent Poudevigne as Directeur Général. Capital structure was reinforced by a $44.2M Unigrains investment in 2017. The group holds an unusually broad compliance stack (AEO, ISO 9001, HACCP, GMP+B3, Qualimat, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SEVESO 3 Seuil Haut, BVQI) that functions as a regulatory moat for agricultural, feed, fertilizer and hazardous-liquid handling. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven through 6 complementary divisions serving agricultural cooperatives, biodiesel producers, industrial importers/exporters, shipowners and charterers.

Name

Groupe Sica Atlantique

Legal name

SICA Atlantique

Website

https://sica-atlantique.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groupe Sica Atlantique is a French agricultural cooperative port logistics group, founded 1957 in La Rochelle, providing grain export terminals, dry and liquid bulk handling, ship agency and brokerage, road logistics, and mercury-free sodium methylate production for agricultural cooperatives, industrial clients, and shipowners along the French Atlantic coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port Logistics Services

NAICS

Port and Harbor Operations (48831), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals (424710)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Wholesale-Petroleum Bulk Stations & Terminals (5171)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain & Agri-Bulk Terminals (Elevators, Silos, Feed Grains) (TLAHABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stevedoring & Vessel Loading/Discharging (Ship-to-Shore Operations) (TLAHALAA), Inland River/Barge Grain Terminals & Warehousing (AFAOACAE), Environmental Compliance & Pollution Response Coordination (TLAHAFAG)

Keywords

• Port logistics services
• Grain terminal operations
• Bulk cargo handling
• Maritime ship agency
• Agricultural export logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

La Rochelle

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Port Logistics Services: Comprehensive port logistics services including grain terminal operations, dry bulk handling, liquid bulk storage, ship agency, maritime brokerage, port handling, and road/rail logistics. Revenue generated through service fees, handling charges, storage fees, and brokerage commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groupe Sica Atlantique operates as a port logistics group headquartered in La Rochelle, France, providing integrated services across grain terminal operations, dry bulk handling, liquid bulk storage, ship agency, maritime chartering brokerage, port stevedoring, and road freight logistics. The group also produces mercury-free sodium methylate for the biodiesel industry and operates a wood-waste recycling platform, serving agricultural cooperatives, industrial importers/exporters, shipowners, and biodiesel producers on the Atlantic coast.

Product overview

Groupe Sica Atlantique operates as a port logistics group with 6 complementary divisions and 10 core activities. The group offers integrated port logistics services through its subsidiaries: Sica Atlantique (grain terminals, the 2nd largest in France), ATENA (fertilizer logistics), EVA (bulk and break bulk handling), SISP (liquid bulk storage), EnviroCat Atlantique (green chemicals/sodium methylate production), Delpech Maritime (port handling), Allfast Shipping (ship brokerage), Agence Maritime Thomas (ship agency), ATOL (road logistics), and Valavelona (wood recycling). The company provides comprehensive services from field to ship including reception, storage, handling, and transport for agricultural products, fertilizers, chemicals, and biomass across the Atlantic coast of France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Valavelona: Wood recycling platform and biomass energy platform operating 9,000 m² installation that processes 60,000 m3 per year of wood waste, with over 50% recycled into energy.

Products and services

• Sica Atlantique Grain Terminals Grain export terminal operations handling cereals and oilseeds, offering automated reception, storage and ship loading services at La Rochelle-Pallice and Tonnay-Charente ports. Operates as the 2nd largest French grain export terminal with 3 million tons handled annually.
• Atena Fertilizer Terminal Dry fertilizer logistics terminal offering bulk handling, storage, blending, bagging, and mobile screening services for solid fertilizers, serving fertilizer producers, importers, and distributors.
• EVA Bulk Handling Terminals Port terminal operator managing three deep-water terminals with 760 meters of berth length and over 25 hectares of platform area, handling dry bulk, break bulk, and heavy lift cargo including industrial minerals, biomass, and recycled materials.
• SISP Liquid Bulk Terminal Liquid bulk storage terminal with 85,000 m3 capacity across 6 sites, handling fertilizers, petroleum products, lubricants, chemicals, and biofuels with specialized tanks and heating systems. Operated with over 80 years of expertise in liquid bulk handling.
• EnviroCat Atlantique Sodium Methylate Production Mercury-free sodium methylate production facility producing 25,000 tonnes per year for the biodiesel industry, using clean sodium metal-based technology via a proprietary production process developed in partnership with Groupe Alkaline/Nippon Soda.
• Delpech Maritime Port Handling Port handling and stevedoring services for dry bulk and renewable energy products, including rail and road loading, and operations at La Rochelle-Pallice, Rochefort and Tonnay-Charente.
• Allfast Shipping Ship Brokerage Maritime shipbroking services for chartering chemical tankers, dry bulkers and multipurpose vessels to transport cereals, fertilizers, metal concentrates, vegetable oils, and ethanol.
• Agence Maritime Thomas Ship Agency Ship agency services providing vessel coordination, port call preparation, handling supervision, captain assistance, and 24/7 administrative formalities with port authorities for shipowners and charterers.
• ATOL Road Freight Logistics Road freight brokerage and logistics services coordinating with over 150 transport companies for dry and liquid bulk, packaged goods, and containers across national and international routes.
• Valavelona Wood Recycling Platform Wood waste recycling platform collecting, sorting, crushing, and screening waste wood to produce biomass fuel for regional wood-powered boilers, processing 60,000 m3 per year on a 9,000 m2 installation.

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Maritime KuhncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Joint venture partnership established in 2008 for EVA terminal operations. Maritime Kuhn, a port logistics group present across Atlantic coast ports, partnered with Sica Atlantique to operate and manage three terminals representing 760m of deep-water berths and over 24 hectares of platforms.
• Groupe Alkaline (Nippon Soda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture creating EnviroCat Atlantique for mercury-free sodium methylate production. Groupe Alkaline, world leader in sodium metal production and subsidiary of Japan's Nippon Soda, combined its expertise with Sica Atlantique's logistics capabilities.
• Union Maritime de La Rochelle (UMLR)minorOthersProfessional union representing maritime economic interests. Natural privileged partner for Sica Atlantique's port operations at La Rochelle.
• Port Atlantique de La RochellecoreOthersGrand Port Maritime de La Rochelle - the port authority managing La Rochelle-Pallice port where Sica Atlantique operates as leading terminal operator.
• AxerealmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural cooperative group partner for grain activities. Major agricultural and agrifood cooperative group operating in France.
• OcealiamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural cooperative partner for port logistics services. Another significant regional agricultural cooperative group.
• Charentes AlliancemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural cooperative partner. Regional agricultural cooperative using Sica Atlantique's export logistics services.
• CAVACmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural cooperative partner. Regional farming cooperative engaged in port logistics services.
• SénaliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for port activities at Port of Rouen. Port operations partner for grain logistics at Rouen port.
• CCI de La RochelleminorOthersChamber of Commerce and Industry partnership for local business development.
• CCI de RochefortminorOthersChamber of Commerce and Industry partnership for Rochefort region.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Cargill is one of the largest global agricultural traders and operates a network of port terminals and inland grain elevators worldwide. A broad incumbent that competes for grain export volumes and bulk handling at major European ports.
• Viterra: Viterra (formerly Glencore Agriculture) is one of the world's largest agribusiness networks, operating grain origination, storage, handling, and port terminals globally. Significantly larger and broader than Sica but directly competes for the same cooperative/trader grain-export flows.
• Bunge: Bunge is a global agribusiness and food company with extensive port terminal operations for grain and oilseeds. Comparable as an origin-to-export agribulk terminal operator, though at vastly larger scale than Sica Atlantique.
• InVivo Group: InVivo is one of France's largest agricultural cooperatives with grain trading, storage and port-side logistics activities. A natural broad-incumbent comparable given its French cooperative ownership model and presence across the same grain-export value chain.

Direct peers

• C. Steinweg (Steinweg Group): Steinweg is a Dutch-headquartered global logistics provider operating port terminals, warehousing, and forwarding for bulk, break-bulk and metals/agricargoes. Comparable as a multi-commodity port terminal operator serving agricultural and industrial clients.
• Sea-Invest: Sea-Invest is a Belgian-headquartered, family-owned group operating bulk, liquid and fruit terminals across Europe, Africa and India. It is one of Europe's largest independent terminal operators with comparable agri-bulk and break-bulk capabilities.
• Sogestran: Sogestran is a French independent port-logistics group operating bulk, liquid, and container terminals along French waterways and seaports. It mirrors Sica's multi-modal port service offering (liquid bulk, dry bulk, stevedoring) with a similar diversified-subsidiary structure.
• Euroports Holdings: Euroports operates a network of bulk, liquid and container terminals across Europe, with comparable handling of agribulk, fertilizers, and break-bulk cargoes. Same customer base (agri-traders, cooperatives) and similar multi-terminal asset model.
• Sénalia: Sénalia is a French agricultural cooperative that operates grain export terminals at the Port of Rouen — one of France's largest cereal export hubs. It is the closest direct peer to Sica Atlantique: same cooperative structure, same agricultural cooperative customer base, and same grain terminal operating model. Sica Atlantique even lists Sénalia as a port-operations partner.

Regional players

• Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux: GPM Bordeaux is the port authority managing the Bordeaux seaport complex, an Atlantic Coast competitor to La Rochelle for agri-bulk and fertilizer handling. Relevant as a regional port peer in the same French Atlantic basin.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GroupeSica
• Facebookfacebook.com/groupesica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-sica-atlantique

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Groupe Sica Atlantique