Konjac tubers are mainly produced in Asia. They are made into powder and then into pasta/noodles/rice for food uses or cosmetic use such as in sponges.
Recently, konjac has become popular and it was recognized by various administrative organizations including FDA, EFSA, FAO, etc. for its applications, which mainly fall into the following four sectors:
1. Medical: with low glycemic index, konjac helps reducing diabetes, blood sugar level, etc.
2. Food: being gluten-free and rich in dietary fibers and (2-3 g per 100 g), konjac enriches the fiber portion in daily food consumption.
3. Healthy Diet: with an appetite suppressant effect and satiety effect but low in calories (5-10 kcal / 100 g), konjac improves a healthy diet program, specifically in weight loss.
4. Cosmetics: with a natural exfoliating effect that has been utilized in beauty products such as konjac sponges, konjac helps enrich the cosmetic field.
The demand for health and slimming products is rapidly growing. Unfortunately, there is no konjac production currently established in France or in Europe. French konjac importers are faced with challenges such as: uncertain sources of konjac supplies, unreasonable or speculative pricing, and problems with traceability or quality. These challenges, however, confirm a great need for a French or European organic konjac supply which is acclimatized, available, accessible, and traceable. The company PLANT INNOVATION R&D LLC thus is created in Angers to meet this need. Our company is labelled French Tech (2020), Deeptech (2021) and Coqvert (2022) by BPI.

The heart of the project is the creation of a new supply chain of konjac products, ensuring a 100 percent French production of konjac tubers from organic farming to the marketing for konjac powder, noodles and sponges under our brand FRANCE-KONJAC®.

The company has undergone development with two competitive advantages :
1. A development that masters new varieties of konjac, which are selected for their adaptation to the local climate, their resistance to pathogens, and their richness in glucomannan. The technologies used to derive the selected traits in these new varieties are applied to konjac seed production.
2. The implementation of innovative transformation processes which guarantee quality without addition of preservatives.

The company is labeled FrenchTech (2020), DEEPTECH (2021) and COQVERT (2022). It was awarded a grand prize at the Trophies of Excellence of Agence Bio (producer category, 2023).