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Business Lines

Grains & Oilseeds

Highlights

LDC is a key player in grains and oilseeds, with a strong international presence in the world’s major producing and consumer regions. We originate, transform and merchandize a large range of grains and oilseeds products.

The Journey of Soy

Top 5

We are among the world’s top five merchandizers of wheat and corn, and are involved in approximately 11% of global oilseed flows

40 Major Markets

Relying on our ever-growing network, we deliver grains to all key destination markets, and oilseeds to over 40 major markets around the world
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119 Assets

We operate strategic assets at key points of the value chain, including 20 transport, 23 processing and 76 storage facilities

About Grains & Oilseeds

Grains are an indispensable source of food in many developing nations, and play an important role in diets around the world, providing vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, oils and protein.

We source grain products – including wheat, corn, sorghum, barley – from all major producing areas. Through our ever-growing network of processing, storage and distribution facilities, we bring these products – as well as derivative products such as dried distillers grains and corn-based ethanol –  to key consumer regions such as  Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

We also originate, process, store and merchandize the full range of oilseeds – including soybeans, sunflower seeds, canola, rapeseed, cottonseed, peanut, palm – and their derivatives, for global food, feed, energy and other industries.

Meal from oilseeds is predominantly used as a protein ingredient in animal feeds. Soybean meal is the world’s largest source of meal protein, accounting for more than 80% of the total according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Vegetable oils can be used to create biodiesel and other derivative products that are used in industrial applications, specialty chemicals, personal care, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications.

Our Grains & Oilseeds Value Chain

Each of our business lines is integrating further across the five steps of our value chain, as we respond to the need for a traceable and responsible supply line from farmer to consumer

01Originate & Produce

01Originate & Produce

We share our expertise with farmers and producers worldwide, ourselves or with business partners and expert organizations, as part of our commitment to responsible, sustainable and traceable supply chains

02Process & Refine

02Process & Refine

Once bought or harvested, we bring crops to our assets for the next stage in their journey. These are ethically and sustainably processed and refined, coming one step closer to the consumer.

03Store & Transport

03Store & Transport

Our strategically located network of silos, warehouses, transloading facilities and ports allows us facilitate access to market for local farmers around the globe and enable us to control costs and mitigate risk throughout the product journey

04Research & Merchandize

04Research & Merchandize

Our depth of marketing and merchandizing experience is our greatest strength. All our platforms and regions rely on our market knowledge to ensure responsive supply.

05Customize & Distribute

05Customize & Distribute

We supply products to a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to local manufacturers and retailers

01Originate & Produce

01Originate & Produce

We share our expertise with farmers and producers worldwide, ourselves or with business partners and expert organizations, as part of our commitment to responsible, sustainable and traceable supply chains

02Process & Refine

02Process & Refine

Once bought or harvested, we bring crops to our assets for the next stage in their journey. These are ethically and sustainably processed and refined, coming one step closer to the consumer.

03Store & Transport

03Store & Transport

Our strategically located network of silos, warehouses, transloading facilities and ports allows us facilitate access to market for local farmers around the globe and enable us to control costs and mitigate risk throughout the product journey

04Research & Merchandize

04Research & Merchandize

Our depth of marketing and merchandizing experience is our greatest strength. All our platforms and regions rely on our market knowledge to ensure responsive supply.

05Customize & Distribute

05Customize & Distribute

We supply products to a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to local manufacturers and retailers

Our Strengths

As global trade volumes grow, in recent years we have increased our share of exportable grains from South America, the Black Sea region, and Australia.

We also continue to extend our market reach in oilseeds, consolidating our historical strengths, accelerating our growth and reinforcing our presence in Asia, Africa, and Australia, and diversifying our activities and product portfolio. We are now one of the world’s largest oilseeds merchandizers.

Our extensive geographic network, integrated value chain, outstanding risk management, research and analysis capabilities, and entrepreneurial ‘can do’ attitude underpin and maintain our leadership position in both grains and oilseeds.

Diversifying Downstream

In 2014, LDC entered Brazil’s processed corn market with the acquisition of Kowalski, one of the country’s largest dry corn processors. Our flagship Xodómilho line includes corn flakes, meal and grits, while our pet food line includes the VitalCan and Canitos brands for dogs, Fellina for cats, and others.

We also market our own brands of refined soybean oil (Vila Velha), cottonseed meal (Pagador) and peanut meal (Mandubi) in Brazil, and various edible oils under our Vibhor brand in India.

In 2019 alone, we introduced three cooking oils to the Chinese business to business (B2B) market: Chef Fu, Fu Bai Xiang and Hong Fu Le. For Chef Fu, this included a partnership with leading e-commmerce platform Meituan, to reach the restaurant and catering sector.

To complement our B2B line, we also launched our first high-end consumer cooking oil brand Mastergold in China, addressing growing domestic demand for premium oils. In 2021, we enlarged our Mastergold range with new products covering nine types of edible oil, including grape seed, safflower seed, perilla seed, and others.

To meet growing demand for higher quality food and feed grade lecithin, we opened a new soy liquid lecithin plant in Claypool, Indiana, US, in 2022.

We continue to complement our core soy, vegetable oils and grains merchandizing business with other product lines such as biodiesel and ingredients such as refined glycerin.

Committed to Sustainability

In addition to our strong merchandizing capabilities, growing product portfolio and reputation for reliability and integrity, our leading position in grains and oilseeds is also connected with our commitment to responsible sourcing, traceable supply chains and sustainable business practices globally.

Increasing traceability in our palm and soy operations is also central to our sustainability efforts, to encourage responsible land use and non-conversion of native vegetation for soy and palm cultivation.

 

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