The company’s 2013 revenue is the largest of the past seven years and the company has posted increases in each of the past five years.
In Romania, the group invested in processing capacities and in Bunica brand, reads an official announcement by the group.
The representatives of Sofiproteol and Expur made no comment on the company’s 2013 profitability and did not give any details on the company’s plans for 2014.
Expur’s revenue in Romania depends on crops of sunseed and rapeseed, which the company processes in the plant it owns in Slobozia, Ialomita county.
Romania in 2013 had a bumper agricultural year, as rapeseed crops hit 650,000 tons, the fifth largest in the EU, and the 2 million tons of sunflower propelled the Romanian agriculture onto the top position among the 28 states of the EU. In the Slobozia plant, Expur processes around 400,000 tons of oilseeds.
Expur business weighs around 5% in revenue generated by Sofiproteoil’s processing unit.
In early 2013, Expur took the agribusiness market by surprise by taking over the assets of Cargill oil plant of Podari and several brands, including Untdelemn de la Bunica, the best-selling on the Romanian market.
According to Sofiproteol’s report, the acquisition of Bunica brand was part of the group’s strategic development plan by 2018. The same plan includes the target of doubling Expur’s processing capacity.
The Romanian vegetable oil market is valued at 350-400 million euro.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)