With intercooperation between six cooperatives, Maltaria Campos Gerais consolidates Malt production in Paraná

The cooperatives Agrária, Bom Jesus, Capal, Castrolanda, Coopagrícola and Frísia held the inauguration of Maltaria Campos Gerais, an enterprise that consolidates the state of Paraná as the largest Brazilian producer of Malt. With the inauguration of the industry, located on PR-151, between the municipalities of Ponta Grossa and Carambeí, for every ten beers manufactured in the national territory, four will have Paraná malt as raw material. The production capacity of the new plant is 240 thousand tons per year.

The event was attended by federal, state and local authorities. Customers from the beer market, business partners and suppliers who contributed to the execution of the work also participated.

President of the Agricultural Cooperative during the period in which the intercooperation agreement was signed, rural producer Jorge Karl recalled how the partnership that gave rise to Maltaria Campos Gerais came about. “The coordination and partnership between these cooperatives made the project a reality,” he said.

Federal deputy Pedro Lupion, leader of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front in the Federal Chamber, praised the role of cooperativism in the development of the State's economy. “This work is a gift for all of us. It is a joy to be able to represent agribusiness and cooperativism in Brasília.”

Speaking on behalf of the Maltaria Campos Gerais fire council, Mr. Adam Stemmer, CEO of Agrária, highlighted factors that were fundamental to the completion of the project, such as: support from public authorities; the establishment of contracts with the breweries Ambev and Heineken, which are among the biggest players in the national beer market; the support offered by financial institutions; and the availability of area for the cultivation of barley, the basic ingredient for the manufacture of malt. “The brewing industry demands more and more national barley every day, to increase the presence of grains produced in Brazil in the production of the beers we consume. Together with FAPA, Fundação Agrária de Pesquisa Agropecuária, and Fundação ABC, we have a great challenge in the research sector, to offer barley varieties that meet industrial standards”. Stemmer also spoke about the plant's sustainable features, such as the use of clean energy and the water capture process, in addition to the automation of equipment, within the industry 4.0 concept.

For the governor of Paraná, Carlos Massa Ratinho Júnior, the investment of R$ 1,6 billion made by cooperatives in the construction of Maltaria Campos Gerais meets the State's agricultural vocation and strengthens its industrialization process. “We have a lot to celebrate, as an investment like this is the consolidation of what we want for Paraná, to transform it into the world’s supermarket,” he said.

Also during the event, Mataria Campos Gerais received its Environmental Operating License from IAT (Water and Land Institute). The representatives of the enterprise also handed over to the State Government the donation of the construction project for the PR-151 viaduct.