Frísia Cooperativa signs agreement to acquire LDC soybean crushing plant in Paraná, Brazil
The complex also features soybean preparation and crushing lines, oil and meal extraction units, a lecithin degumming and packaging section, and a refinery.
BRAZIL – Frísia Cooperativa Agroindustrial has signed an agreement to acquire a soybean crushing plant from Louis Dreyfus Company in Ponta Grossa, expanding the cooperative’s processing footprint in southern Brazil.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed in the announcement made on March 3.
According to the cooperative, the acquisition supports its long-term strategy to expand industrial capacity and strengthen value addition for its members across the region.
“The acquisition of this industrial unit will represent a significant advance for the cooperative movement in Paraná, adding value for its members and boosting regional development,” said Mario Dykstra, superintendent of Carambeí-based Frísia.
The facility sits on a 58.08-hectare industrial site and includes grain reception, processing and storage infrastructure with a static capacity of 300,000 tonnes.
The complex also features soybean preparation and crushing lines, oil and meal extraction units, a lecithin degumming and packaging section, and a refinery.
With a daily crushing capacity of 3,400 tonnes, the plant will primarily produce degummed soybean oil, which will mainly be used in the manufacture of biofuels.
It will also produce soybean meal for both domestic consumption and export markets, along with additional co-products including lecithin and soybean hulls used in food processing and animal feed formulations.
Brazil is the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter, with output exceeding 150 million tonnes annually, according to data from Brazil’s supply agency Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento.
Soybean crushing capacity has also gained strategic importance due to rising demand for renewable fuels, particularly biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Degummed soybean oil remains a major feedstock for Brazil’s biodiesel program, which has progressively increased blending mandates in recent years.
“The vertical integration of production, made possible by this unit, is a fundamental pillar of our Strategic Plan for the 2025-2030 cycle,” Dykstra said.
According to him, by integrating production stages, from receiving raw materials to the industrialization and commercialization of derivatives, the company seeks to increase efficiency, strengthen its competitiveness, and guarantee greater autonomy to face market challenges.
The transaction remains subject to approval from Brazil’s antitrust regulator, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), as well as the transfer of operating licenses and regulatory authorizations.
The companies expect the process to be completed in the second half of 2026.
Frísia confirmed that employees currently working at the plant will be retained following completion of the acquisition.
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