Le Neubourg
Puff Pastry Expert
Since its construction in 1986, Le Neubourg site in Eure has been producing frozen puff pastry specialties. Over the years, the site has focused on frozen petits-fours, distributed through major retailers and premium frozen food brands, particularly during holiday seasons. Serving clients across Europe reflects not only production expertise but also our commercial and logistical excellence.
The Ajinomoto Era
In 2017, Ajinomoto acquired Le Neubourg site through the Labeyrie Traiteur Surgelés takeover, reinforcing its European footprint. While continuing the site’s historic expertise in frozen pastries, the acquisition opened new horizons.
The Launch of Gyoza Production
In 2023, a major milestone was reached with the introduction of the iconic Gyoza. Ajinomoto invested €13 million to expand Le Neubourg factory and install a dedicated production line. Specialized machines were imported directly from Japan to produce our delicious Gyoza, which require meticulous craftsmanship and advanced technology.
French and Japanese Teams
Beyond the equipment, the project also focused on knowledge transfer. For several months, Japanese experts trained local teams on every detail, from ingredient preparation to machine operation. This created a unique know-how, enabling the production of products faithful to Japanese culinary traditions while meeting European market standards.
Our local R&D teams, driven by a shared passion for innovation, now play a key role in evolving our product offering. Behind the scenes, ideas take shape, recipes are perfected, and new concepts are explored.
Looking Ahead
Today, Le Neubourg is a key site for Ajinomoto. Its surface area has grown by 25% in two years, and with European demand rising, the teams are ready for new challenges. With both historicalxpertise and forward-looking vision, Le Neubourg perfectly embodies Ajinomoto’s ability to bridge tradition and innovation.
Discover our Gyoza line in this video
Our commitments in Le Neubourg
Our commitment to quality extends beyond recipes. It starts with careful selection of raw materials and continues through every step of production, aiming to offer high-quality, reliable products, while working to reduce their environmental impact. These efforts are part of a comprehensive initiative, led by our teams, to enhance our products while preserving what makes them great: taste and affordability.
Reducing Energy Consumption
- We monitor greenhouse gas emissions at our factories to identify sources and define reduction strategies.
- Between 2018 and 2024, we cut greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants at our production sites by 60% through several concrete energy-saving initiatives.
- Thanks to the installation of a heat recovery system at Le Neubourg, we have avoided the emission of over 700 tons of CO₂ per year.
Innovative Resource Management
- To meet our customers’ expectations regarding the reduction of single-use plastic, we are working to reduce its use and improve the recyclability of our food packaging.
- A factory shop allows us to sell still-edible products and surplus stock at discounted prices locally. Nearly 20,000 products were donated to a local charity in 2024.
- We are developing partnerships aiming to strengthen the consideration of environmental and social criteria in the sourcing of some of our key raw materials.
Evolving our sourcing and our product offerings
- The cardboard used for our packaging is made from recycled materials or from FSC- or PEFC-certified sources.
- Whenever possible, we source certified raw materials for our own plants: beef, pork and wheat flour certified as “of French origin”.
- We are expanding our vegetarian product range to cater to diverse tastes and dietary needs.
