Südzucker
Südzucker AG is a German company, the largest sugar producer in the world, with an annual production of around 4.8 million tonnes.
In February 2014, Germany’s Federal Cartel Office imposed a joint fine of 280 million euros on the company – together with its competitors Nordzucker and Pfeifer & Langen – for allegations of anticompetitive agreements.
History
Südzucker traces its origins to Süddeutsche-Zucker-AG, which was formed in 1926 through the merger of five regional sugar factories. Its corporate predecessor is Zuckerfabrik Frankenthal AG. In 1837, the Badische Gesellschaft für Zuckerfabrikation purchased Eremitage Castle in Waghäusel from the Grand Duchy of Baden and, on the castle’s 13‑hectare grounds, established the Waghäusel sugar factory, which operated until 1995. During World War II, almost all of the company’s production capacity was destroyed, and after the war it also lost the plants located in the Soviet occupation zone to expropriation. In the 1950s, the remaining factories were rebuilt and expanded. In 1988, the company merged with Zuckerfabrik Franken GmbH of Ochsenfurt and was renamed Südzucker Mannheim/Ochsenfurt, with its headquarters in Mannheim and major administrative offices in both Mannheim and Ochsenfurt.From 2004 to 2016, Octavian Armașu, future finance minister and governor of the National Bank of Moldova, served as CFO of the Moldovan branch.
Group segments
Sugar segment
The company has 30 sugar factories and three refineries in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.Special Products segment
- BENEO-Palatinit GmbH, Mannheim
- Freiberger Lebensmittel GmbH & Co KG, Berlin
- PrimAS Tiefkühlprodukte GmbH, Oberhofen im Inntal, Austria
- Stateside Foods Ltd., Westhoughton, United Kingdom
CropEnergies segment
CropEnergies AG, Mannheimoperates 4 production sites in Germany, Belgium, France, and the UK. The Zeitz plant is located adjacent to the beet sugar factory.