France & Ukraine: Leading malt firm MALTEUROP denies Ukrainian expansion rumours

Leading malt producer MALTEUROP group, via its Ukrainian subsidiary MALTEUROP Ukraine, is reportedly planning to invest in a new malt factory in the Vinnitsya region, according to Flexnews, August 7.

According to reports in the Russian press, the company is considering investing 30 million euro in the facility.

The funds would also be used to build a barley elevator. Once completed the plant would have a capacity to produce 100,000 tons of malt per year, said the reports.

After having been contacted by Flexnews, MALTEUROP Ukraine said that it did not want to comment on the rumours circulating in the Russian press.

However, a company spokesperson did say “MALTEUROP Group is a multinational company and is considering and analyzing many opportunities worldwide to extend capacities and obviously Ukraine could be one option for it”.

The spokesperson added that no concrete project exists for the time being and there has been no decision made regarding expansion as of yet.

Established in 1999, MALTEUROP Ukraine is the largest malting company in Ukraine with an annual production capacity of 160,000 tons. More than 80% of its production goes to the domestic market whereas the remaining 20% is exported to CIS countries. The company has 2 malt factories in Chernigov and Kharkov, with an annual capacity of 50,000 and 110,000 tons of malt, respectively.

Based in Reims, France, parent company MALTEUROP Group is the third largest malt producer in the world, with a yearly production capacity of 1.1 billion tons of finished product per year – i.e. 6.5 % of the worldwide production and 20 % of the world malt trade.

In December 2006, MALTEUROP Group acquired Sachsenmalz, a German malt producer, which produces 60,000 tons a malt annually. The company also bought Baltic Malt in Poland, which has a yearly capacity of 65,000 tons. Both companies were acquired from Friedrich Weissheimer Malzfabrik KG.

MALTEUROP Group is a subsidiary of Champagne Céréales, a French farmer co-operative, which has nearly 9,000 members and 1,500 employees. Champagne Céréales is the first European cereals co-operative and consolidates 81 companies in 17 countries.

08 August, 2007