Zurich
Overview
Agriculture · Switzerland · 11,601 Employees
Founded in 2017, COFCO is an agriculture supply chain company that is focused on global grains, oilseeds, and sugar supply chains.
Join the COFCO International team
If you’re interested in a career at COFCO International please visit our careers section.
Tom Ravenscroft’s day starts when his three children wake him up at about 5.30-6.00am. It means Ravenscroft, Head of Panamax in COFCO International’s Freight Division, can get ahead of the market. It’s all part of a day in the life of a freight trader.
Castor oil is a vegetable oil made from castor beans, which are not edible and can grow on semi-arid and arid land unsuitable for many other crops. The beans are hand-picked on largely smallholder farms of 1-3 hectares, and India currently accounts for close to 90% of worldwide exports. The vegetable oil is unique for its chemical properties and structure and the crop does not compete with food products. As a result, scientists continue to focus on finding new products and applications based on this feedstock.
Within the next 10 years, countries like Brazil and Mexico could become large castor bean growers and processors with mechanical harvesting solutions and crushing capacities. This expansion of castor bean production is to be welcomed, as demand for castor oil and its downstream products will continue to amplify in the next decades.
“It’s amazing. Every day when I wake up, I ask myself what’s going to happen today? What new challenges and opportunities will come up? The daily business can vary a lot and that makes it fascinating to work in,” says Denis Ginter, Head of Technical Oils for COFCO International, and who was recently elected President of the International Castor Oil Association (ICOA).
“We obviously have our processes, but it’s not too repetitive as there are always variations. Even after 22 years in this business I still find it really exciting. In fact, I feel a real personal connection to this renewable resource and to the continuous growing interest from the chemical industry. I love building relationships with new clients and developing new projects with current and potential customers.”
Unique commodity
A significant advantage of castor oil is that it has few substitutes due to its unique chemical properties. High-speed train and airplane components, for example, require a lubricant with exceptional low-temperature viscosity and high-temperature lubrication, among other properties, to reduce wear. Castor oil, due to its exceptionally high content of ricinoleic acid and high viscosity, thanks to the hydrogen bonding present in its hydroxyl group, is the best product for most types of greases.
As a result, demand for castor is inelastic and, in most cases, not influenced by price developments.
“COFCO International’s involvement in castor oil started in 1963 and today we are dealing with all kinds of clients, from large multinationals to small and medium size companies. We have excellent, long-standing relationships with both clients and suppliers, and create a bridge between the production units in India and the industrial users worldwide,” Ginter says.
Addressing sustainability
Increasing consumer awareness of the sustainability of what they are buying is driving greater focus on the issues across supply chains.
Multinationals are keen to work with castor oil because it is considered a renewable resource and sustainable product, given its demand is not a driver for deforestation, it does not require much water for cultivation, is resistant to pests and does not compete with the food supply chain.
The growing involvement of large corporations, with a strong focus on sustainability, in castor oil has helped to mitigate risks related to labour issues. India’s crushers and regulators are also responding to growing sustainability requirements and have stepped up their efforts to ensure responsibly produced castor products.
COFCO International is now a member of Sustainable Castor Association, a not-for-profit organisation that brings together stakeholders from across the industry to improve and promote sustainability of castor oil and its derivatives globally.
“Castor is a unique drought resistant crop. However, before we started working with the farmers, no measures were taken to make it a sustainably produced crop,” says Rajesh Bhatia, Assistant General Manager at Solidaridad.
Despite being drought resistant, there are some concerns with respect to water usage which are heightened by climate change affecting rainfall patterns.
Solidaridad, an international civil society organization which develops solutions to make communities more resilient, is working to support castor farmers in Gujarat – which represents 75-80% of the castor crop in India – to reduce water use and increase yields.
The rising frequency of droughts, due to climate change and erratic rainfall, is a major factor that impacts the yield and productivity of castor across India. Solidaridad has worked with other Sustainable Castor Association members to help train farmers and thus improve water-use efficiency, enhance soil fertility and promote overall good and sustainable agricultural practices.
The enthusiasm and willingness of the farmers to learn new practices has also allowed Solidaridad to underline labour risks, such as child labour and ensure these are not significant risk issues for the supply chain.
“We work together as an association to understand the entire supply chain for castor, with companies as well as with the farmers,” Bhatia says. “The Sustainable Castor Association is a small step in addressing the climate crisis. The key is to meet the rising demand for castor products with a responsible and sustainable mechanism that benefits consumers, producers and the environment.”
“Meeting tomorrow’s demand” – our sustainability strategy
“Meeting tomorrow’s demand” by making agricultural products available to everyone on the planet, every day, means doing business in a responsible and sustainable way.
This is because wherever we go, we are committed to creating a positive, sustainable and long-lasting difference for all our stakeholders – from our people to our shareholders, farmers, customers, communities and countries in which we operate.
Our sustainability strategy is based on five objectives.
The interactive diagram below explains the material issues and policies each one addresses.
Find out more about our work on:
Diversity and Human Rights
With over 50 nationalities represented across 35 countries, we are a truly global workforce.
Health and Safety
Creating a working environment where safe practices are the norm relies on both robust management systems and context-appropriate awareness campaigns.
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https://twitter.com/i/status/1536984329439653890
Jeff Morton
Chief Financial Officer
Anara Sadenova
Silo Controller
Rajendra Chauhan
Business Controller
Sofía Zanoniani
Controller
Aaron Li
Executive VP (China)
Sally Sun
Chief Executive Officer
Cem Erseven
Walder Nascimento
Helio Alberto Bellintani Jr
Diretor Jurídico/General Counsel – Global Soft Commodities (Sugar, Coffee & Cotton) na COFCO International
Marco V.
Head of Architecture and Analytics na COFCO International
About us
COFCO International is a global agri-business with a clear vision, strong values and a positive culture, focused on being a leader in the global grains, oilseeds and sugar supply chains. We provide the food the world needs in a responsible way. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, we are ambitious, with the right structures and culture to meet the world’s increasing and changing needs. With 11,000+ people in 35 countries, our global portfolio includes assets across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We trade with over 50 nations, while providing farmers unique direct access to the growing Chinese market.
Website http://cofcointernational.comIndustries Food and Beverage ManufacturingCompany size 10,001+ employeesHeadquarters Chêne-Bougeries, GenevaType Privately HeldFounded 2017Specialties Trade, Logistics, Seeds, Grains and oilseeds, Coffee, Sugar, Cotton, Freight, agri, and Commodities.
22,000
$62.1B
Head Office
North America
Chicago
425 S. Financial Place
Suite 3600
Chicago, IL 60605
United States of America
Tel: +1 312 341 3260
Stamford
Four Stamford Plaza
107 Elm Street, 11th Floor
Stamford, CT 06902
United States of America
Tel: +1 203 658-2820
Latin America
Buenos Aires
Francisco N. de Laprida 3175
(B1603AAD) Villa Martelli
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel: +54 11 4468 8000
Mexico City
Av. Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma No 1015
Torre A Piso 20
Colonia Desarrollo Santa Fe
Delegación Álvaro Obregón,
C.P. 01376
CDMX, México
Tel: +11 52 55 4123 2200
São Paulo
Rua Sansão Alves dos Santos
– 400 – 2º andar, Cidade Monções
CEP: 04571-090
São Paulo, Brasil
Tel: +55 11 3566 8600
Europe
Bucharest
Oregon Park
46D-46E-48 Pipera Str.
Entrance B, 5th Floor
District 2, Bucharest
Romania
Tel: +40 31 824 2220
Geneva (Global Head Office)
Route de Malagnou 101-105
CH-1224 Chêne-Bougeries
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 528 6888
Istanbul
Kisikli Caddesi No:4
Sarkuysan-Ak Is Merkezi
Blok:1/8, 34662, Altunizade
Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: +902165595500
Lisbon
Atrium Saldanha
Praca Duque de Saldanha, nº 1 – 9 C
Lisbon 1050-094
Portugal
Tel: +351 21 359 23 80
Madrid
Via de las Dos Castillas, 33
Edificio Atica 3 – 3ª planta
28224 Pozuelo de Alarcón
Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34911802020
Porto / Matosinhos
Lionesa
R. Lionesa 4465-671
Leça do Balio
Matosinhos
Portugal
Tel: +351 227666000
Suffolk
15 The Havens
Ransomes Europark
Ipswich, Suffolk
IP3 9SJ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 14 73 275 020
Africa
Stellenbosch
2nd Floor Neutron House
3 Neutron Street
Techno Park
Stellenbosch, 7600
Western Cape Province
South Africa
Tel: +27 21 808 1900
Asia-Pacific
Bangkok
128 Phayathai Plaza Building / 22nd Floor,
128/241 Phayathai Road,
Tung Phayathai, Ratchathewi,
Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 12 9317 57
Beijing
No.8 Jianguomen Inner Ave, COFCO Plaza
Dongcheng District
Beijing, China
Email: [email protected]
Dubai
Jumeirah Business Center 2
Office 808
Cluster V, Jumeirah Lakes Towers
PO Box 338246
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 425 0053
Ho Chi Minh City
Floor 6, HD Tower, 25 Bis Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Str., Dist.1
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
Tel: +848 3512 7230
Jakarta
World Capital Tower, Unit 16-15
Jalan Dr. Ide Anak Agung Gede Agung
Parcel B, Kawasan Mega Kuningan
Setiabudi, Kuningan Timur
Jakarta Selatan 12950
Mumbai
215 Atrium, Unit 620-622, “next to Courtyard Marriott”, Andheri Kurla Rd, Andheri East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400047, India
Tel: +91 22 61218900
Seoul
Room 720, 3 , Hwangsaeul-ro, 240 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Tel: +82 31 712 5230
World’s Leading Agri-Commodity Companies Deliver Roadmap to Reduce Emissions from Land Use Change
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