Orbia receives investment from Yara and takes another step in its expansion plan

Orbia, an agribusiness marketplace in Brazil, announces a new shareholding composition, following approval from CADE. The new financial contribution comes from Yara, a plant nutrition company, which becomes a minority shareholder in the company, with 14% of the shares. Based on the new structure, Bayer and Bravium reduce their participation proportionally, now holding 68,8% and 17,2% of the shares, respectively. The three companies will participate in the board of directors of Orbia, which operates independently

“Yara’s entry into our corporate structure strengthens our expansion plans and to be the rural producer’s main digital partner. It is another important advance in the digitalization of the field, a movement that has accelerated in the last two years. And Orbia has been the common thread that connects all agricultural players in a single environment”, explains Ivan Moreno, CEO of Orbia. “We have grown year after year with results beyond expectations. And, with the arrival of Yara, we further consolidate our purpose of offering complete solutions for the entire working day of rural producers, from planting to the commercialization of their production”, he says.

In addition to being a shareholder, Yara is a loyalty partner, that is, in the points program for fertilizers in Brazil, generating points for customers who choose their products. The fertilizer category is very relevant in the producer's shopping basket, therefore the synergy between pesticides and seeds, fertilizers and other partners allows the customer to accumulate even more points, in addition to having more benefits, adding value to their business.

Yara found in Orbia an innovative business model that presents strong synergy with its recently announced digitalization strategy, guided by a focus on customer experience and the objective of reaching 25% of total product sales in Brazil via digital platforms, such as e-commerce and marketplace, by 2025. “We are dedicated to contributing to the climate-positive and carbon-neutral future of food production, and we understand that in addition to offering the best nutrition solutions, this also involves access. Making our portfolio available on multiple channels ensures that it reaches the field in the most appropriate way for each customer profile. Sustainability and digitalization go hand in hand, and integrating a platform like Orbia is certainly a clear opportunity to contribute even more to the transformation of agribusiness and the entire food value chain”, says Cleiton Vargas, vice-president of Farming Solutions for Yara Americas.

According to Luis Offa, director of Marketing Latam at Bayer's agricultural division and president of Orbia's Board of Directors, “The platform was created to be a transformative experience throughout the rural producer's journey within the digital universe and, for this to happen, We need to expand partnerships and offer a range of products and services that make interactions pleasant and agile, promoting the best purchasing experience for farmers.”

For Offa, Yara will offer a strong portfolio, which will complement the solutions that the platform's customers seek. “For Bayer, Orbia is today one of the most important digital tools. We understand that to be the protagonist of a digital transformation in agribusiness we need to be together with different players, this is what we call co-creation for innovation”, believes the executive.

“Our perception is that, with the entry of Yara, the digital transformation of the producer's journey is increasingly consolidated in the idea of ​​a one-stop shop platform, making Orbia's marketplace and coalition loyalty program absolutely fundamental solutions within the strategy of rural producers”, concludes Ricardo Garcias, co-founder of Bravium.

The new corporate composition comes into force with the conclusion of the process at CADE.