Edible oils and oilseed derivatives producer Bunge has closed a year in which it has strengthened its presence in Spain. The company has described 2023 as a special year for many reasons, “One of these is the renovation of our offices in Sant Just Desvern, Barcelona, one of our main hubs in the world,” it announced.

The new 2000 square metre facility features open spaces and technological advances in which they have sought to create “a place to share, connect, collaborate and innovate, tailored to the different needs of our teams to help them continue to bring essential foods to our tables and biofuels in a safe and sustainable way. Today and in the future.”

60 new jobs
In 2023, Bunge has created 60 new jobs, and 280 people are already employed at its renovated hub. Activities such as industrial and digital operations, talent management and business relations will be carried out from this office.

The company, present in the Catalan town since 1992, specialises in oilseed processing and produces protein meals for animal feedstuffs, vegetable oils for the food industry and biodiesel. It is also a distributor of grains, cereals and oilseeds through the ports of La Coruña, Barcelona, Bilbao (Vizcaya), Cartagena (Murcia) and Lisbon. In Spain, it has three plants soybean processing plants in the ports of Barcelona and Cartagena and another biodiesel plant in the port of Zierbena (Bilbao). In Bilbao, within the same complex, it also has a biodiesel production plant.

Novel foods and ingredients
Last year also saw the announcement of the projects selected in the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) in the agri-food industry, promoted by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. Bunge is part of the AccelerEat project, which will receive a grant of 19 million euros and will mobilise a total of 48 million euros by June 2025. It aims to develop new foods and ingredients based on alternative raw materials, such as fungi, insects and microalgae.

The Olleco Bunge joint venture did in addition recently announce the acquisition of two used cooking oil collectors and processors in Spain: Jobufer and Rahersa, based in Murcia and Cantabria, respectively. The company, set up in 2022 by the US company and UK-based Olleco, aims to create a sustainable circular economy solution that gives a second life to edible oils used by the hospitality, catering and food manufacturing industries.

As joint venture CEO Oliver Mack explained, “These two exciting acquisitions build on Olleco Bunge's strong foundation in Iberia, enabling us to offer used cooking oils as a feedstock for renewable fuels, helping to address environmental and energy security challenges”.

Bunge is a multinational company registered in Geneva (Switzerland) and has its corporate headquarters in St. Louis (Missouri, USA).

^{Photo: Bunge}