Cefetra, one of the major traders of grains and animal feed raw materials in the UK and Ireland, has acquired two grain stores in Scotland at a cost in excess of £7 million.
The company, which is based in Glasgow, has an annual turnover in excess of £1 billion and supplies customers in the animal nutrition, food and drink industries. The stores acquired can accommodate approximately 140,000 tonnes of grain.
One store at Ormiston, East Lothian, has a capacity of 80,000 tonnes, while the other, at Charlesfield, Melrose, can hold 60,000 tonnes.
“By making such a significant investment we have taken the next step in further strengthening our grain origination business,” said managing director Andrew Mackay. “It also demonstrates our long-term commitment to supporting both the farming community and our established customers across Scotland and Northern England.
“These grain handling, processing and storage facilities, with drying, cleaning and grain analysis operations, give us the infrastructure required to operate in key grain production areas of Scotland. They allow us to work with and support farmers, whilst also enabling us to supply quality grains, oilseeds and pulses to key customers in Scotland and Northern England.”
Cefetra has a network of over 40 storage sites across the UK and Ireland, from which it dispatches between 85,000 and 90,000 tonnes of raw materials to industry partners every week – around 600 lorries per day.
Altogether, the company now boasts over one million tonnes of storage capacity, backed up by state of the art processing technology.
Mr Mackay said: “With our efficient supply chains and logistics, alongside our strategically selected storage facilities, and an excellent network of farmer growers and suppliers, we are ideally positioned to meet the requirements of our customers. The Company has extensive, objective market analysis and a trusted approach to quality and sustainability, including being accredited by Sedex and Ecovadis”
He added: “We are well aware of the challenges that farmers face in today’s volatile market but by working together, we can support and help manage their market strategies to help generate strong returns.
“As their supply chain manager, we provide a secure connection between the farmers’ business and the end consumer.”