What Fiber Excellence does

Fibre Excellence is a French private pulp manufacturer (SAS) founded in 1960 and headquartered in Labège, operating two kraft pulp mills in southern France — Saint-Gaudens (280,000 tonnes/year, producing bleached BSKP and BHKP grades) and Tarascon/Provence (270,000 tonnes/year, producing UKP grades including UKP-E for electrical insulation, UKP-P for packaging, and UKP-F for fiber-cement). Combined capacity is 550,000 tonnes/year, serving paper manufacturers, packaging producers, and technical/specialty paper customers across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East via a direct enterprise B2B sales model.

The group's technology stack centers on the kraft pulping process with integrated biorefinery capabilities — co-product recovery (turpentine and tall oil, sold exclusively to DRT), proprietary hemicellulose extraction (BIO4 project, completed October 2025) yielding high-purity sugars for white biotechnology, and biomass cogeneration with a 25 MW BioWatt turbine at Provence and a second cogeneration unit at Saint-Gaudens. Both mills are net electricity exporters, feeding surplus into the French grid under feed-in tariffs. Vertical integration extends upstream through wholly-owned subsidiaries SEBSO (responsible timber collection across 7,000 ha/year) and EnviroFORESTERIE (forest management for 4,000 owners across 24,000 ha), with 90% of fiber sourced locally within a 250 km radius.

Fibre Excellence generates revenue primarily through transactional sales of market pulp, with secondary streams from bioproducts (tall oil, turpentine), green electricity, and renewable energy certificates. Consolidated annual turnover is approximately €300 million. The group is currently executing a €180 million four-year Provence modernization, the €280 million Grand-Couronne corrugated paper project (with Veolia), and the BIORAF talent-development initiative with French engineering schools. Headcount is ~670 across the group.

Name

Fiber Excellence

Legal name

FIBRE EXCELLENCE SAS

Website

https://fibre-excellence.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Fibre Excellence is a French private kraft pulp manufacturer with 550,000 tonnes/year of combined capacity across two southern France mills, producing bleached and unbleached market pulps (BSKP, BHKP, UKP) for paper, packaging, and specialty paper customers across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kraft Pulp Manufacturing

NAICS

Pulp Mills (32211)

SIC

Pulp Mills (2611)

akta.pro primary industry

Market Pulp (Bleached Hardwood/Softwood Kraft) (IMAMADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fluff Pulp (Absorbent Pulp) (IMAMADAB), Fiber Recycling & Pulping (Paper, OCC, Mixed Paper) (BPALADAD)

Keywords

• Market pulp manufacturing
• Kraft pulp products
• Bleached pulp grades
• Unbleached kraft pulp
• Wood bioproducts

Headquarters

HQ city

Labège

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Market Pulp Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling market pulp (UKP, BSKP, BHKP) to paper manufacturers for packaging, hygiene, printing paper, technical paper, construction and insulation applications. Revenue is transactional, based on production volumes and market pricing.
2. Bioproducts (Tall Oil and Turpentine): Recovery and sale of co-products from pulp manufacturing: turpentine (6-9 kg per ton of softwood) and tall oil (vegetable oil from black liquor distillation). Sold exclusively to DRT for use in cosmetics, adhesives, biofuels, and industrial applications.
3. Green Electricity Generation: Excess energy from biomass cogeneration is sold back to the public electricity grid. Both mills produce more energy than they consume (Saint-Gaudens: 244,000 MWh produced vs 192,000 MWh consumed; Provence: 179,000 MWh vs 166,000 MWh).
4. Renewable Energy Certificates: Sale of renewable electricity with contracted feed-in tariffs with the French government. Tariffs are under discussion for adjustment to reflect actual biomass production costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fibre Excellence manufactures market pulp in France, including bleached softwood kraft pulp, bleached hardwood kraft pulp, and unbleached kraft pulp grades for paper, packaging, hygiene, technical paper, construction, and insulation applications. It also recovers and sells pulp-process co-products such as tall oil and turpentine to industrial customers.

Product overview

Fibre Excellence is a French pulp and paper manufacturing company operating as a unified group with two production sites and specialized subsidiaries. The core product portfolio consists of three main pulp categories: BSKP (bleached softwood kraft pulp) and BHKP (bleached hardwood kraft pulp) produced at Saint-Gaudens, and UKP (unbleached kraft pulp) in multiple specialized grades (UKP-E for electrical insulation, UKP-P for packaging, UKP-F for fiber-cement) produced at Tarascon. Total annual production capacity is 550,000 tonnes. The company also produces bioproducts including turpentine and tall oil extracted from manufacturing processes, and bio-based sugars from the BIO4 research project. Green electricity is produced through biomass cogeneration. Two specialized subsidiaries support operations: SEBSO handles responsible timber collection (7,000 hectares/year), while EnviroFORESTERIE provides sustainable forest management advisory services (24,000 hectares under management). A €280 million project is underway to convert the Grand-Couronne site into recycled paper production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEBSO: SOCIÉTÉ D'EXPLOITATION DES BOIS DU SUD-OUEST - Responsible timber collection subsidiary operating in 40 departments with 80 employees
• EnviroFORESTERIE
• BioWatt
• BIO4

Products and services

• BSKP (Bleached Softwood Kraft Pulp)
• BHKP (Bleached Hardwood Kraft Pulp)
• UKP-P (Unbleached Kraft Pulp for Packaging)
• UKP-F (Unbleached Kraft Pulp for Fiber-Cement)
• UKP-E (Unbleached Kraft Pulp for Electrical Insulation)
• Turpentine
• Tall Oil
• Bio-based Sugars
• Green Electricity (BioWatt)
• Sustainable Forest Management Advisory Services (EnviroFORESTERIE)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced emissions: 90% SO2, 99% H2S, 91% dust reduction on main equipment since 2019 at Provence
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADEMEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Supported the BIO4 project through Programme d'investissements d'avenir. ADEME provides funding and strategic support for innovation in sustainable industrial processes and bio-economy development.
• INSA ToulousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in BIO4 project through CRITT Bio-Industries and TBI (Toulouse Biotechnology Institute). Contributes scientific expertise for hemicellulose extraction research.
• CNRScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner through Toulouse Chemical Engineering Laboratory, ChimEco and i-CLeHS. Provides academic research expertise for BIO4 biorefinery development.
• RoquettecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in BIO4 project. Major player in plant-based ingredients and biochemicals, contributing market vision and application expertise for hemicellulose sugars.
• ArbiomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in BIO4 project. Specialized in wood-to-sugar conversion technology for bio-based products.
• SeppiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in BIO4 project. Provides expertise in cosmetic ingredients and specialty additives for bio-based product applications.
• MinakemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in BIO4 project. Contributes pharmaceutical and fine chemistry expertise for green chemistry applications.
• DRT (Dérivés Résiniques et Terpéniques)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive customer for turpentine and tall oil production. World leader in plant chemistry (dsm-firmenich group) processing co-products for cosmetics, perfumes, adhesives, biofuels. Provides technical support to improve quality and yield.
• ValmetcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment supplier and technology partner for press section reconstruction and modernization at Provence mill. Provided pressurized felt conditioning system reducing energy consumption by 50% and eliminating water use.
• CNPF (Centre National de la Propriété Forestière)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on forest management methods and ASEV project for thinning operations. Works together on sustainable forestry practices in French forests.
• VeoliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Grand-Couronne paper mill project. Veolia supplies recycled paper and cardboard for 10 years and makes the site available to Fibre Excellence through a lease agreement.
• Léon MartincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaper mill partner in Health Mask consortium. Family business (since 1895) with 'Living Heritage Company' label, manufacturing thin single-ply paper. Collaborates on 100% cellulose mask production.
• DSIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Health Mask consortium, employing majority disabled people. Industrializes and distributes mask and sanitary products produced from paper supplied by Léon Martin.
• Centre Technique du Papier (CTP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner in Health Mask consortium working on production of cellulose pulp and specific papers for mask production.
• Grenoble INP - UGAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner in BIORAF project (€4.6M budget, €3M from France 2030). Provides higher education in biorefineries through Pagora and Industrial Engineering programs. Project aims to train 220 students/year.
• Clermont Auvergne INPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner in BIORAF project. Contributes to innovative higher education programs focused on biotechnological processes, eco-design, and characterization of bio-based products.
• BIO-VALOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in BIORAF project contributing to skills and innovation development in biorefineries.
• Cévennes National ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative forest management in protected area including Natura 2000 zone 'Combe des Cades' preservation.
• Arles Chamber of Commerce and IndustryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in river transport logistics system development for wood supply to Provence site, in collaboration with Port of Arles.
• Port of ArlesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnables river transport logistics for wood supply, with 175,000 tons/year transported by barge representing ~20% of Provence site supplies.
• CRPF (Centre Régional de la Propriété Forestière)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical forestry development partner working alongside EnviroFORESTERIE for sustainable forest management.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sappi: Global producer of BSKP, dissolving pulp and coated/specialty papers with mills in Europe and North America. Highly comparable to Fibre Excellence for its BSKP volumes, EU presence, and ongoing pivot toward specialty/cellulosic grades.
• Mercer International: Western Canadian and German market kraft pulp (NBSK and others) plus bioenergy producer operating dedicated pulp mills of broadly comparable size to Fibre Excellence's Saint-Gaudens/Tarascon footprint. Direct peer in market pulp with co-product energy recovery.
• The Navigator Company: Iberian (Portugal-based) integrated forest, pulp and tissue group producing BSKP/BHKP and UFLE/Unfolding pulp grades with strong European customer overlap. Direct like-for-like competitor in European market kraft pulp and downstream tissue/printing grades.
• Cenibra: Brazil-based joint venture between Japan-based and Brazilian shareholders producing short-fiber eucalyptus market kraft pulp, exported globally. Comparable as a focused market-pulp player at similar capacity scale, supplying printing/writing and specialty paper customers.
• Klabin: Brazilian integrated pulp and paper company producing market pulp plus kraft liner/corrugating papers from eucalyptus and pine. Comparable in producing market kraft pulp and serving packaging end-markets, with vertical integration into forest assets similar to Fibre Excellence's SEBSO/EnviroFORESTERIE.
• Metsä Fibre: Metsä Fibre (Metsä Group division) is a Nordic kraft pulp producer of BSKP/BHKP with comparable market-pulp positioning and integrated wood sourcing. Most direct functional analogue to Fibre Excellence in terms of product mix and European geographic overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Mondi: European-led integrated pulp and paper packaging group with internal kraft pulp supply and growing recycled containerboard capacity. Comparable to Fibre Excellence in kraft pulp, packaging and integrated forestry, but focused downstream on corrugated packaging rather than market pulp sales.
• Stora Enso: Nordic integrated forest, pulp, packaging and biomaterials major with significant BSKP/BCTMP output plus packaging and forestry operations. Overlaps with Fibre Excellence across market pulp, packaging and biomaterials R&D but operates at materially larger scale and broader scope.
• Suzano: Largest global market hardwood pulp producer with vertically integrated eucalyptus plantations. Dominant incumbent in the same end-markets (BSKP/BHKP for printing, writing, tissue and packaging); a price-setter and structural backdrop to any European kraft pulp player like Fibre Excellence.
• UPM-Kymmene: Finnish integrated forest, pulp and biomaterials group with BSKP from Uruguay/Finland and growing biofuels/biorefining capability. Material overlap in market kraft pulp and biorefinery ambitions (Forest Biofore) that anchor UPM's growth, similar to Fibre Excellence's BIO4 trajectory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fibre-excellence
• Facebookfacebook.com/fibreexcellencesaintgaudens

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Fiber Excellence