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Bunge history
Bunge company history timeline
The company was founded by Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge in 1818 and is headquartered in White Plains, NY.“
1859 Bunge relocates to Antwerp, Belgium, and starts business with Asia and Africa, becoming one of the world's leading commodities traders.
In 1884, together with the Born family, it launched a grain trading company in the burgeoning agribusiness market of Argentina.
The relocation of Bunge's base of operations outside of The Netherlands began in 1884, when Edouard's brother, Ernst Bunge, moved to Argentina.
1884: Affiliated Argentine company, Bunge y Born, is founded.
1900 In the 1900s, Bunge y Born founds various companies including Compañía Industrial de Bolsas (cereal bags manufacturer), La Fabril (cotton seed processor), Alba (paint manufacturer), Compañía Química (chemical and fertilizer maker) and Grafa (textile maker), among others.
1905 Bunge begins operations in Brazil by incorporating Moinho Santista Indústrias Gerais wheat mill in Santos, Brazil.
1914 Bunge acquires Fluminense wheat mill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The move to the United States occurred in 1918, when Bunge began to trade in agricultural commodities.
1923 Bunge founds SANBRA (Sociedade Algodoeira do Nordeste Brasileiro), its first oilseed processing company in Brazil.
Bunge North America was incorporated in New York City in 1923.
The company opens its first trading office in North America, incorporating in 1923.
The company formed Bunge North American Grain Corporation in 1923 to take advantage of the difference in seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres: farmers in South America would be harvesting their grain crops just as American farmers were planting theirs.
After having been encouraged by the Argentine government since the end of the 19th century to trade cotton, Bunge founds cotton company La Fabril S.A, which begins producing cottonseed oil in 1925.
1934 Bunge makes its first export shipment from Brazil - a cargo of cotton to Europe.
1935 Bunge purchases its first sizable grain facility, Midway, adjacent to a rail terminal in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, adding physical facilities to its grain trading capabilities.
The subsidiary built its first major grain facility in Midway, Minnesota, in 1935, after buying an old rail terminal in the community.
1936 Bunge y Born develops an edible oils facility in Uruguay called the Fábrica Uruguaya de Aceites Comestibles, an Argentine affiliate for vegetable oil production.
1941 Diversification, starting with oil production, allows Bunge to enter the chemical sector in some countries.
Bunge North America became Bunge Corporation in 1943, as the company continued its efforts to expand beyond trading to add grain production and value-added processing capabilities.
1946 Bunge acquires grain elevators in the upper Midwest and Kansas in the United States
1946 Bunge founds a vegetable oil company in Peru called Companhia Oleaginosa del Peru (COPASA).
In keeping with this plan, Bunge bought two major grain companies in 1946: Hallet & Cary, Inc., with a number of midwestern elevators, and Gano Grain Company, with operations located mainly in Kansas.
1947 Bunge creates Fertimport, a Brazilian company that manages raw material shipments.
In 1961, it opened the largest United States grain export facility of its day in Destrehan, Louisiana.
In 1967, Bunge added to the facility by building its first soybean processing plant.
1969 Bunge inaugurates the first soy crushing plant in Latin America through S. A. Moinhos Rio Grandenses (SAMRIG).
1975 Through SANBRA and SAMRIG, Bunge becomes a major promoter of soybean consumption in Brazil.
1977 Bunge founds a wallpaper company in Argentina called Papeles Decorativos Renova.
1978 Bunge founds a ceramics factory in Argentina called Cerámica Neuquén S.A.
The Lauhoff Grain Company (renamed Bunge Lauhoff Grain) was acquired in 1979, resulting in Bunge's emergence as the world's largest corn dry miller.
1986 Bunge opens its own consumer service center in Brazil, four years before the legalization of the country’s Consumer Protection Code.
1987 Bunge launches Pré-Mescla, a brand of pre-mix for baking breads in the Brazilian market.
In 1987, Bunge Foods made another strategic acquisition, buying Carlin Foods Corporation and adding a range of bakery products for sale to retail and wholesale outlets, as well as to food processors and foodservice companies.
In 1988, management elected to focus on the grain origination assets it had accumulated on the Mississippi and its tributaries, and as a consequence sold a dozen interior grain elevators located in Texas and Oklahoma.
Until the early 1990s, direct descendants of the Bunge and Born families ran Bunge y Born, a private company that was content to remain little known to the general public. It was not until 1988 that the company turned to public financing for the first time, issuing commercial paper in order to increase its credit and fund diversification efforts.
1992 Bunge launches Delícia Light margarine - the first in the Brazilian market with 50% fewer calories.
In 1992, Bunge Lauhoff Grain acquired the only corn dry mill in Canada, buying Ontario-based Kingroup, Inc.
Furthermore in 1992, Bunge forged a joint venture with ContiQuincy Export Company to promote both companies' soybean operations.
Alberto Weisser Joins Company in 1993
In 1994, the Bermuda-registered Bunge International was created as the main company in which the families had shares.
In 1995, Bunge Foods bolstered its ability to serve the West Coast of the United States by acquiring the packaged edible oil business and other assets of Premier Foods Corporation.
1995: Bunge Agribusiness Limited is formed.
In 1997, the company added to its milling capabilities by investing in one of the largest wheat mills in Mexico and also added nine midwestern grain elevators from Homer Grain Company.
On the agribusiness side of the business, in 1998 Bunge also opened a soybean crusher-refiner operation in Council Bluffs, Iowa, becoming the largest oil extractor in the country.
1999 Bunge completes construction of the largest United States soybean crushing and refining plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
2000 Bunge opens a marketing office in Manila, Philippines.
2000 Bunge starts a distribution business of agricultural commodities to Middle East destinations including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
2000 Ceval and Santista Alimentos are officially consolidated after three years.
In 2000, management announced that it planned to take Bunge public within two years.
2001 Bunge SA is established in Geneva, Switzerland by Bunge Global Markets as its European headquarters.
2001 Bunge opens a marketing office in Melbourne, Australia.
2001 Bunge acquires La Plata Cereal and in so doing, becomes one of the leading agribusiness companies in Argentina.
In 2001, under the leadership of Alberto Weisser, Bunge was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
2002 Bunge acquires Cereol, a global company with a substantial soybean processing footprint in the United States Eastern Corn Belt, leading brands of bottled vegetable oil in Eastern Europe, the largest canola processing capacity in Canada, and soybean processing capacity in Spain.
The agribusiness segment, which accounts for 56 percent of the company's operating profit in 2002, is comprised of three business lines: grain origination, oilseed processing, and international marketing.
Bunge's global aspirations were greatly enhanced in 2002 when the company purchased a 55 percent controlling interest in Cereol SA, a French agribusiness competitor.
2003 Bunge acquires Hindustan Lever´s Indian edible oils business.
2004 Bunge constructs the port of Derince in Turkey, begins construction of the port of Liepaja in Latvia and invests in food products and agribusiness in Russia, Poland and Ukraine.
In 2004, Bunge acquired Cereol, parent of oilseed companies Central Soya and CanAmera Foods.
2005 Bunge begins operating its first soybean crushing and refining plant in China, in the city of Rizhao.
2006 Bunge begins operating a soybean crushing plant in Nanjing, its second such facility in China.
2007 Bunge launches consumer vegetable oil brands in Romania.
2007 Bunge purchases Santa Juliana, its first sugarcane mill in Brazil, located in the state of Minas Gerais.
2007 Bunge builds a facility for the production of phosphate, a key ingredient in fertilizer, at the Ramallo industrial complex in Argentina.
2007 The Bunge Product Lines (BPL), a group within the company that coordinates agricultural commodity trading globally, are moved into a new entity, Bunge Global Agribusiness, which succeeds Bunge Global Markets.
In 2008, Bunge acquired Walter Rau, a margarine company, from Germany.
2009 The Bunge Italy offices move to Ravenna.
2009 Bunge expands its industrial processes at the Ramallo indutrial complex in Argentina with the launch of an oilseed crushing plant, starting production of flours and vegetable oils.
In 2009, Bunge acquired the margarine business from Raisio Group, maker of functional food ingredients.
2010 Bunge completes its acquisition of the Moema Group, a cluster of five sugarcane mills (Moema, Itapagipe, Frutal, Ouroeste and Guariroba) located on the border of São Paulo and Minas Gerais states - the two largest domestic ethanol markets in Brazil.
2010 Bunge purchases Petrobras´ fertilizer operations in Argentina and becomes one of the leading fertilizer companies in the Southern Cone region.
2011 Bunge announces an agreement with Aceitera General Deheza to begin building a corn processing plant in Argentina.
2012 Bunge acquires the edible oils and fats business of Amrit Banaspati in India, including the Gagan, Dalda, Masterline and Chambal brands.
2012 Bunge launches a five-year, $4 million partnership to promote sustainable agriculture with The Nature Conservancy.
2012 EGT, Bunges joint venture with Japanese trading company, ITOCHU, begins exporting grains and oilseeds from a newly constructed United States export elevator on the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest.
2013 Bunge opens a marketing office in Tokyo, Japan.
2013 Bunge inaugurates its first biodiesel unit in Brazil in Mato Grosso.
2013 CAIASA, a joint venture of Bunge, Louis Dreyfus Commodities and Aceitera General Deheza, begins operations in Paraguay.
2013 Bunge purchases a wheat mill in Brazil called Moinho Vera Cruz.
In 2014, Bunge announces it would build a new plant, the most modern in South America, keeping the name Fluminense.
2015 After a long term joint venture with Saipol, Bunge acquires Novaol, a biodiesel plant in Italy.
2015 Bunge establishes an office in South Africa to serve local markets.
Using microalgae with sugarcane as feedstock, the JV will go on to produce innovative food and feed ingredients, including the 2016 launch of AlgaPrime™, a long chain omega-3 rich algae ingredient developed for the aquaculture feed market.
2016 Bunge forms a joint venture with Wilmar and Green Feed in Vietnam, connecting Bunge's upstream crushing capabilities to Wilmar's downstream oil refining and consumer products business, and to Green Feed's feed milling and marketing activities.
2016 Bunge starts operations at its new Fluminense Mill in Rio de Janeiro, the most modern wheat mill in South America.
In January 2017, Archer Daniels Midland agreed to sell its crop risk services (insurance) unit to Validus Holdings for $127.5 million.
In May 2017, Glencore in Switzerland began pursuing the acquisition of Bunge.
2017 Bunge, The Nature Conservancy and a coalition of companies, NGOs and government entities launch Agroideal.org, a decision support tool that facilitates the sustainable expansion of soy production in South America.
On January 19, 2018, it was reported that Archer Daniels Midland had approached Bunge Ltd. about a takeover, with details "unclear." At that point, Bunge had a market value of about $9.8 billion, and was still being pursued by Glencore.
In April 2020, Bunge announced it agreed to sell 35 U.S interior grain elevators to Zen-Noh Corporation.
In 2021, Bunge was ranked 18th on FoodTalks' Global Top 40 Plant Protein Producers list.
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Bunge competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilgrim's | 1946 | $17.9B | 35,700 | 620 |
| Tyson Foods | 1935 | $53.3B | 139,000 | 331 |
| Hillshire Brands | 2012 | $4.1B | 7,500 | - |
| The Dow Chemical Company | 1897 | $43.0B | 54,000 | 147 |
| General Mills | 1866 | $19.9B | 35,000 | 157 |
| PepsiCo | 1898 | $91.9B | 267,000 | 535 |
| Cargill | 1865 | $114.7B | 166,000 | 835 |
| Old HB Inc | 1930 | - | 21,000 | - |
| ADM | 1902 | $85.2B | 38,100 | 1,041 |
| Kellogg | 1906 | $12.7B | 34,000 | 45 |
Bunge history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Bunge, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Bunge. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Bunge. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Bunge. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Bunge and its employees or that of Zippia.
Bunge may also be known as or be related to Bunge, Bunge Global Markets, Inc., Bunge Limited and Bunge Ltd.