After developing the use of hemp in nutrition, it is in a sports drink that Émilie Capel, founder of the Toulouse company V21, decided to introduce hemp proteins. Since the creation of her company in 2021, the 38-year-old entrepreneur has developed, in collaboration with six farmers from Gers, a sector dedicated to this plant rich in proteins, fatty acids and micronutrients.
From September 2023 to June 2024, the opening of a pop-up store at the Halles de la Cartoucherie in Toulouse allowed the young woman to test a first drink, a hemp-infused iced tea. “I have sold more than 4,000 bottles of it, so it has become a flagship product of the brand, which is well suited to athletes and is not very sweet,” explains Émilie Capel. “This drink echoes the first one I developed last year for the CAP competition (Agro Creative Project), organized by CFIA, Agrotec and RIA News media. » V21 was the winner of this competition, focused on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with PLOM, its hemp protein drink.
Coffee or apple flavour
In collaboration with Agrotec, a technical center recognized for its expertise in the development of innovative agri-food products, the Toulouse company has created this drink, based on oat milk, with a coffee or apple flavour. “It is a functional drink, designed to promote recovery after training, because it is rich in proteins, calcium, zinc, a source of magnesium and vitamins B and C”, explains Émilie Capel. “It took a year of research and development with Agrotec to develop it so we could commercialize it in the first quarter of 2025.”
V21 products are distributed on its website, in grocery stores, organic shops, concept stores and restaurateurs. Finally, the Toulouse company wants to develop, with its new PLOM range, other products for sports nutrition, also based on hemp.
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