WORMERVEER, Netherlands,
Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge
Loders Croklaan (BLC), the specialty oils and fats business of
Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), officially announces the opening of its
state-of-the-art shea butter processing facility in Tema,
Ghana with the launch of the
Where Life Grows campaign that celebrates the
company's efforts to build a resilient and sustainable shea supply
chain in Africa.
"Our latest investment in Ghana
plays a critical role in strengthening BLC's global infrastructure
for processing and supplying high-quality shea products to our
customers around the world, while also bolstering the entire
ecosystem of regional crushers and local shea collectors in the
West African region," said Aaron
Buettner, President BLC. "The facility allows us to
meaningfully support and empower the local shea communities through
the transfer of knowledge of value adding processes and by
investing in local skills development. We are proud to join forces
with local communities to help build and advance the African shea
industry together."
Operational since 2019, the facility is BLC's first shea
processing plant in Africa and the
largest of its kind on the continent. "The facility is a fully
automated solvent fractionation plant that processes raw shea
butter made from locally collected and crushed shea nuts," said
Antoine Turpin, General Manager
West Africa at BLC. "Currently,
the facility provides employment to 73 people from mostly the local
community. Its strategic location not only allows for a more
efficient production process, it also delivers on BLC's commitment
to building a more sustainable supply chain for shea."
Where Life
Grows
The campaign, a tribute to the long-standing shea legacy in the
region, is designed to celebrate BLC's ongoing commitments and
efforts within its shea sustainability program. The program was set
up three years ago with the objective to empower shea collecting
women, create socio-economic value in their communities, and
conserve and regenerate the shea landscape in the region. Shea,
also recognized fondly by the locals as the tree of life,
has become a vital ingredient in both food and non-food products,
driving up demand for shea butter with a CAGR of 6.27% by value and
7.9% by volume until 20241. 16 million women in
Africa living in rural communities
and their families depend on the shea industry to financially
support their households and contribute to their communities.
"We believe that the key to building a better tomorrow for shea
communities is by investing in sustainable trade and income
diversification," explains Ben
Vreeburg, Sr Director Sustainability for Tropical Oils,
Bunge Loders Croklaan. "This belief is what brings our shea
sustainability initiatives to life and the Where Life Grows
campaign captures our commitment to create value to the countries
and communities where shea is originated."
As a founding member of the Global Shea Alliance, BLC works to
ensure the female shea collectors in its supply chain are empowered
through training, and by donating tools that enhance the women's
safety, improve their physical well-being, and make the collection
process more efficient. BLC has also contributed to programs
designed to increase the value and quality of the collected crop,
such as building warehouses and developing partnerships with local
crushers, which in turn increases the financial gain for the
women's cooperative groups. Furthermore, as a result of climate
change impacting livelihoods of communities in the Savannah
ecological area, BLC has committed to conserve and protect the shea
landscape through reforestation and shea parkland restoration
projects and the investment in energy-efficient stoves for the shea
communities.
For more information on our shea sustainability initiatives,
please visit our shea dashboard and shea projects
overview and learn more about the Where Life
Grows campaign here.
About the Shea Processing Facility
The processing
facility is a fully automated solvent fractionation plant that
processes raw shea butter made from locally collected and crushed
shea nuts into two major products - shea olein and shea stearin.
Shea stearin is being processed further in our facilities in
The Netherlands, Malaysia, US and Canada to produce ingredients that can be used
in many food and non-food applications. For example Cocoa Butter
Equivalents (CBEs) are used in chocolate confectionery.
BLC's sustainability commitments
BLC's shea
sustainability initiatives underpin the company's vision to build
21st century value chains that are transparent, verified
sustainable and create positive impact on the ground in support of
the UN Sustainable Development Goals across the areas of health and
education, socio-economic development and environmental
management.
About Bunge Loders Croklaan:
Bunge Loders Croklaan
(www.bungeloders.com) is a leading global producer and supplier of
plant-based specialty oils and fats for the food manufacturing and
food service industry. It operates as part of the global B2B edible
oils business of Bunge Limited (NYSE:BG). Its products are used in
a wide range of applications, from bakery and confectionery to
culinary and infant nutrition. With in-depth knowledge of
ingredients, applications and processes, the Bunge Loders Croklaan
team closely cooperates with customers to develop tailored
solutions and create innovative products to meet their business
goals and differentiate them in in the marketplace.
About Bunge:
Bunge (www.bunge.com, NYSE: BG) is a
world leader in sourcing, processing and supplying oilseed and
grain products and ingredients. Founded in 1818, Bunge's expansive
network feeds and fuels a growing world, creating sustainable
products and opportunities for more than 70,000 farmers and the
consumers they serve in over 60 countries. The company is
headquartered in St. Louis and has
almost 25,000 employees worldwide who stand behind more than 350
port terminals, oilseed processing plants, grain silos, and food
and ingredient production and packaging facilities around the
world.
1 Research and Markets Global Shea Butter Market
Outlook to 2024 - High Price of Cocoa Butter & Rising Demand
for Chocolate Propel Market Growth, (2019).
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SOURCE Bunge Loders Croklaan