Louis Dreyfus Company announces new expansion project in Matão

Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a leader in the marketing and processing of agricultural products, announced the start of construction of new storage tanks for orange juice at its Matão (SP) unit, located in the largest citrus producing region in the country. . The project will begin this month and aims to increase the production and storage capacity of non-concentrated orange juice (NFC), a product with high added value for the market.

The new investment allows for the storage of 30 million liters of NFC at the unit, which will increase production capacity to 300 million liters per year.

“Increasing the production and storage of NFC allows us to meet the growing demand for this high-value-added product, and reinforces our position as one of the three main global processors and traders of orange juice”, said Juan José Blanchard, Head of Platform of LDC Juices.

Brazil is the largest exporter of orange juice in the world, and LDC has been operating in this business in the country for over 30 years. The company's operations are fully integrated, with the management of more than 25 thousand hectares of sustainably grown citrus groves - strategically located in the country's citrus belt - as well as three citrus juice factories and a state-of-the-art juice terminal at the Port of Santos (SP).

“This project is the result of the company's commitment to the country and the city of Matão - where LDC has operated since 1988 - through long-term investments”, added Jorge Costa, Director of Operations at Plataforma de Jucos.

With construction beginning this month, the new tanks are expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023.

The project in Matão is part of LDC's plans to expand the commercialization of NFC in Europe, the United States and Asia. In 2020, the company began operating its fleet of ships 100% dedicated to the transport of juices and derived products. Prior to this, LDC had already expanded its NFC storage and blending capacity at the port terminal and processing facilities in Ghent, Belgium.