Editing Bunge Global

{{short description|Swiss-domiciled agribusiness company}}

{{Infobox company
| name                = Bunge Global SA
| logo                = Bunge Limited Logo.svg
| type                = [[Public company|Public]] (''[[Société Anonyme]]'')
| traded_as           = {{ubl|class=nowrap|{{NYSE|BG}}|[[S&P 500]] component}}
| ISIN                =
| founded             = {{Start date and age|1818}}
| founder             = Johann P. G. Bunge
| hq_location         = {{Unbulleted list | [[St. Louis, Missouri]], U.S. (operational) | [[Geneva]], Switzerland (legal) }}
| area_served         = Worldwide
| key_people          = {{Unbulleted list | Mark Zenuk (chairman) | Greg Heckman (CEO)}}
| industry            = [[Food processing industry|Food processing]]
| products            = [[#Products|List of products]]
| revenue             = {{decrease}} {{US$|53.1|link=yes}}&nbsp;billion (2024)
| operating_income    = {{decrease}} {{US$|1.62}}&nbsp;billion (2024)
| net_income          = {{decrease}} {{US$|1.14}}&nbsp;billion (2024)
| assets              = {{decrease}} {{US$|24.9}}&nbsp;billion (2024)
| equity              = {{decrease}} {{US$|9.91}}&nbsp;billion (2024)
| num_employees       = 23,000 (2024)
| website             = {{url|bunge.com}}
| footnotes           = <ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001996862/000199686225000008/bg-20241231.htm |title=2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K) |date=20 February 2025 |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>
}}
'''Bunge Global SA''' (''BUN-ghee'')<ref name="BB 2023"/> is a global [[agribusiness]] and [[food company]], incorporated in [[Geneva, Switzerland]] and headquartered in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], United States. 

As well as being an international [[soybean]] exporter, it is also involved in [[food processing]], [[cereal|grain]] trading, and [[fertilizer]]. It competes with [[Archer Daniels Midland]], [[Cargill]] and [[Louis Dreyfus Company|Louis Dreyfus]]. The company has approximately 23,000 employees in 40 countries.<ref name="bunge.com">{{Cite web |title=Agribusiness - Food Production Company - Bunge |url=http://www.bunge.com/contacts |website=bunge.com}}</ref>

== History ==
===Formation and listing===

Bunge was founded in 1818 by Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge in [[Amsterdam]], it was relocated to [[Antwerp]] by [[Edouard Bunge]] in 1859. Edouard's brother; Ernest Bunge, took the Bunge name to [[Argentina]] in 1884, and in 1905 the business extended to [[Brazil]] and later on to the United States.  The company was converted into the [[Bermuda]]-registered [[Bunge International]] in 1994, retaining the [[Bunge y Born]] name only in Argentina. Bunge remained a privately held company of 180 shareholders (including the longtime controlling family interests) and divested itself in 1998 of almost all its retail foods interests in favor of a greater role in international [[agribusiness]] and commodity markets; by then the company's gross annual turnover had reached US$13 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/economico/98-05-31/o-00401e.htm|title=Clarín Económico. La retirada final del grupo Bunge & Born|date=March 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312080052/http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/economico/98-05-31/o-00401e.htm |archive-date=2009-03-12 }}</ref> Bunge ultimately went [[public company|public]] on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] in 2001, becoming Bunge Limited.

In 1994, the Bermuda-registered Bunge International was created as the main company in which the families had shares. There were around 180 shareholders—the main families were Hirsch, Bunge, Born, Engels, and De La Tour. This replaced the older structure in which individual shareholders had stakes in all the different Bunge companies. Now only in Argentina does the Bunge y Born name still exist.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

[[File:Bunge 10th anniversary NYSE 2011 Shankbone.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[New York Stock Exchange Building]] on August 4, 2011, when Bunge celebrated the 10th anniversary of its listing on the [[New York Stock Exchange]]]]
In 2001, under the leadership of Alberto Weisser,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Talati |first=Sonia |date=September 17, 2016 |title=UBS: New Boss, New Mission |work=Barron's |url=http://www.barrons.com/articles/ubs-new-boss-new-mission-1474088725}}</ref> Bunge was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Through their three businesses—[[agribusiness]], [[fertilizer]], and food products—they have established a leading global presence in the farm-to-consumer food chain. Bunge is the world's largest [[oilseed]] processor,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Plume |first1=Karl |last2=Sen |first2=Anirban |date=13 June 2023 |title=Bunge, Viterra will merge to form $34 billion agri-trading powerhouse |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/bunge-merge-with-viterra-form-18-billion-agriculture-trader-2023-06-13/ |access-date=9 May 2024 |work=Reuters}}</ref> the world's number one seller of bottled [[vegetable oil]] to consumers and the largest producer and supplier of fertilizers to farmers in [[South America]].{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

===Acquisitions===
In 2002, Bunge acquired Cereol, parent of oilseed companies Central Soya and CanAmera Foods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge Limited to Acquire Ft. Wayne's Central Soya |url=http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=2359 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130907230921/http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=2359 |archive-date=2013-09-07 |website=insideindianabusiness.com}}</ref> In 2008, Bunge acquired Walter Rau, a margarine company, from Germany.<ref>{{Cite news |last=FoodNavigator.com |title=Bunge acquires controlling stake of German oil supplier Walter Rau |language=en-GB |work=FoodNavigator.com |url=http://www.foodnavigator.com/Business/Bunge-acquires-controlling-stake-of-German-oil-supplier-Walter-Rau |access-date=2017-09-12}}</ref> In 2009, Bunge acquired the margarine business from [[Raisio Group]], maker of functional food ingredients.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raisio - Responsibility |url=http://www.raisiogroup.com/www/page/Responsibility |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504153721/http://www.raisiogroup.com/www/page/Responsibility |archive-date=2011-05-04 |access-date=2010-11-08}}</ref> In 2017, Bunge announced intentions to acquire a 70% stake in IOI Loders Croklaan for $946 million from Malaysian palm oil producer [[IOI Group|IOI Corp Berhad]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-12 |title=Bunge to buy 70 percent stake in IOI Corp unit for $946 million |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ioi-loders-croklaan-stake-bunge/bunge-to-buy-70-percent-stake-in-ioi-group-unit-for-946-million-idUSKCN1BN18B |access-date=2017-09-12}}</ref>

=== Brazilian sourcing protests ===

In 2012, Bunge came under criticism from NGO [[Survival International]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Survival International |title=US food giant accused over biofuel 'tainted with Indian blood' |url=http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8812 |website=survivalinternational.org}}</ref> for sourcing its sugarcane from the ancestral land of the [[Guaraní people]] in [[Brazil]]. It has been reported by the tribe that crop production has brought pesticides and machinery that has damaged their health, as well as restricting them to a small area that has prevented them from hunting and practicing their traditions.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} Also, in January 2003, opposition from the tribe had led to the killing of their chief Marcus Vernon by ranchers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryan Villarreal |date=8 December 2012 |title=Deadly Ethanol: Brazil's Sugarcane Farms Take Toll On Indigenous People |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/deadly-ethanol-brazils-sugarcane-farms-take-toll-indigenous-people-912116 |website=International Business Times}}</ref> In 2012, survivors were requesting Bunge follows the example of the company [[Raízen]], which agreed to stop the sourcing of sugarcane from the area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Survival International |title=Shell scraps controversial biofuels plan after Brazilian Indian protest |url=http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8399 |website=survivalinternational.org}}</ref>

===Recent===
In May 2017, [[Glencore]] in [[Switzerland]] began pursuing the acquisition of Bunge.<ref name=wsj-bunge/> In early June 2017, Bunge hired advisers to help it fend off Glencore's takeover interest.<ref name="ft-glencore1">{{Cite news |last1=Hume |first1=Neil |last2=Fontanella-Khan |first2=James |date=June 4, 2017 |title=Bunge hires JPMorgan and Shearman & Sterling in Glencore defence |work=[[Financial Times]] |location=United Kingdom |url=https://www.ft.com/content/12147fd0-4920-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/12147fd0-4920-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=June 5, 2017}}</ref> In January 2017, Archer Daniels Midland agreed to sell its [[Crop insurance|crop risk services]] (insurance) unit to [[Validus Holdings]] for $127.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2017 |title=Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/deals-day-idUSL4N1FL1ZL |access-date=2019-09-08 |website=Reuters}}</ref> 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.<ref name="wsj-bunge">{{Cite news |last1=Bunge |first1=Jacob |last2=Mattioli |first2=Dana |date=January 19, 2018 |title=ADM Has Made Takeover Approach to Bunge Ltd. |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |location=The New York Times, New York City, United States |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/adm-has-made-takeover-approach-to-bunge-ltd-1516395567?mod=WSJ_Markets_LEFTTopStories&tesla=y |access-date=January 21, 2018}}</ref>

In 2019, Bunge relocated its global headquarters from [[White Plains, New York]], to the [[St Louis]] [[metropolitan area]] in 2020, where the company had its US headquarters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge Global Headquarters to Move to St. Louis {{!}} Bunge |url=https://www.bunge.com/news/bunge-global-headquarters-move-st-louis |access-date=2019-09-02 |website=www.bunge.com}}</ref>

In April 2020, Bunge announced it agreed to sell 35 U.S interior grain elevators to [[Zen-Noh|Zen-Noh Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge agrees to sell 35 U.S. grain elevators {{!}} Bunge |url=https://www.bunge.com/news/bunge-agrees-sell-35-us-grain-elevators |access-date=2020-05-06 |website=www.bunge.com}}</ref> The completion of the sale was subject to regulatory approval and closed in December 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge finalizes sale of elevators to Zen-Noh {{!}} World Grain |url=https://www.world-grain.com/articles/15534-bunge-finalizes-sale-of-elevators-to-zen-noh |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=www.world-grain.com |language=en}}</ref> 

In 2021, Bunge was ranked 18th on FoodTalks' Global Top 40 Plant Protein Producers list.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Huang|first=Lemon|date=2021-05-17|title=2021年全球植物蛋白配料企业40强|trans-title= Global Top 40 Plant Protein Companies|url=https://www.foodtalks.cn/news/foodnews/top_100/5945#|access-date=2022-02-13|website=FoodTalks|language=zh}}</ref> 

A 2023, [[Bloomberg Businessweek]] described Bunge's food science pivot.<ref name="BB 2023">{{cite news |last1=Veloso Ribeiro |first1=Tarso |last2=Almeida |first2=Isis |title=A Two-Century-Old Grain Trader Turns to Food Science |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-05/bunge-changes-its-focus-to-better-cookies-chips-and-ice-cream |access-date=11 April 2023 |work=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |date=5 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, a merger with [[Viterra]] was announced.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/bunge-finalizing-30-billion-plus-merger-with-viterra-sources-2023-06-08/ |last1=Summerville |first1=Abigail |last2=Sen |first2=Anirban |date=8 June 2023 |title=Bunge finalizing $30 billion-plus merger with Viterra |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=7 July 2024 }}</ref>

== Products ==
The company's operations include:<ref name="bunge.com" />
*originating oilseeds and grains from the world's primary growing regions and transporting them to customers worldwide;
*crushing oilseeds to make meal for the livestock industry and oil for the food processing, food service and biofuel industries;
*producing bottled oils, mayonnaise, margarines and other food products for consumers;
*crushing sugarcane to make sugar, ethanol and electricity;
*milling wheat and corn for food processors, bakeries, brewers and other commercial customers; and
*selling fertilizer to farmers.

==Environmental record==
{{see also|Gran Chaco#Conservation issues}}
In 2006, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] filed charges against Bunge company regarding pollution emissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge North America Inc. |url=http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/06585/bunge-pollution.html |website=lawyersandsettlements.com|date=30 October 2006 }}</ref> This involved twelve soybean processing plants and corn mills in eight states throughout the US. The lawsuit claimed Bunge violated the [[Clean Air Act (United States)|Clean Air Act]] by constructing major modifications that increased emissions. Bunge was required to implement engineering changes and [[pollution control]] projects, estimated to cost $12 million, to reduce emissions at the facilities by 2,200 tons a year. The settlement also called for Bunge to pay a cash penalty of $625,000 and to spend $1.25 million to fund community-based environmental projects selected by and to be supervised by the impacted states.<ref>{{Cite web |title=10/26/2006: $13.9 Million Clean Air Act Settlement with Multinational Soybean and Corn Processor Secures Major Pollution Reductions in Eight States - Settlement Expected to Eliminate More than 2,200 Tons of Harmful Emissions Annually |url=http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/8b770facf5edf6f185257359003fb69e/ccddd2cbb05de0118525721300631247!OpenDocument |website=epa.gov}}</ref> 

== Biofuel production ==
[[File:Bunge Mannheim Einfahrt.jpg|thumb|Biodiesel plant in [[Mannheim Harbour]] ]]
In November 2005, Bunge created a [[Europe]] production joint venture [[biodiesel]] with [[France | French]] company KBBV and Diester Industrie. The new company received the name Diester Industrie International. The joint venture will produce [[biodiesel]] in [[Germany]], [[Austria]] and [[Italy]]. The total capacity of the plants will reach 430 thousand tons [[biodiesel]] per year.

== Corporate governance ==
As of 05 Feb 2020

*Gregory Heckman, CEO, Bunge Global SA
*Aaron Buettner, President, Bunge Loders Croklaan
*Brian Zachman, President, Global Risk Management
*Christos Dimopoulos, President, Global Supply Chains
*Raul Padilla, President, Global Agri Operations, (Retiring effective December 31, 2021) <ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge Global Operations President to retire {{!}} World Grain |url=https://www.world-grain.com/articles/15024-bunges-global-operations-president-to-retire |access-date=2021-04-03}}</ref> 
*Deborah Borg, EVP & Chief HR and Communications Officer
*John Neppl, EVP & CFO
*Josef Podwika, EVP & General Counsel
*Pierre Mauger, Chief Transformation Officer
*Robert Coviello, SVP Sustainably & Government Affairs
*Robert Wagner, Chief Risk Officer

== Tax dodging ==
A noteworthy case of [[transfer mispricing]] came to light in 2011 in Argentina involving the world’s four largest grain traders: [[Archer Daniels Midland|ADM]], Bunge, [[Cargill]] and [[Louis Dreyfus Company]]. Argentina’s revenue and customs service began an investigation into the four companies when prices for agricultural commodities spiked in 2008 and yet very little profit for the four companies had been reported to the office. As a result of the investigation, it was alleged that the companies had submitted false declarations of sales and routed profits through tax havens or through their headquarters. In some cases, they were said to have used phantom firms to buy grain and had inflated costs in Argentina in order to reduce the recorded profits earned in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lawrence |first=Felicity |date=2011-06-01 |title=Argentina accuses world's largest grain traders of huge tax evasion |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/jun/01/argentina-accuses-grain-traders-tax-evasion |access-date=2019-08-01 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> According to the country’s revenue and customs service, the outstanding taxes amounted to almost USD 1 billion.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bloomberg |date=2013-03-25 |title=Grain Exporters Owe Argentina 951 Million in Taxes |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-03-25/grain-exporters-owe-argentina-951-million-in-taxes |access-date=1 August 2019}}</ref> The companies involved have denied the allegations. To date, the Argentinian tax authorities have not replied to the [[Public Eye (organization)|Swiss NGO Public Eye]]’s request regarding the current state of the case.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Public Eye |date=June 2019 |title=Agricultural Commodity Traders in Switzerland |url=https://www.publiceye.ch/fileadmin/doc/Agrarrohstoffe/2019_PublicEye_Agricultural-Commodity-Traders-in-Switzerland_Report.pdf |access-date=1 August 2019}}</ref> In its 2018 annual report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bunge mentioned provisions which suggest that the case is still ongoing: “[A]s of December 31, 2018, Bunge’s Argentine subsidiary had received income tax assessments relating to 2006 through 2009 of approximately 1,276 million Argentine pesos (approximately $34 million), plus applicable interest on the outstanding amount of approximately 4,246 million Argentine pesos (approximately $113 million<sup>]</sup>).”<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bunge Ltd (BG) 10K Annual Reports & 10Q SEC Filings |url=https://last10k.com/sec-filings/bg |access-date=2019-08-01 |website=Last10K |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (B)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Official website|https://www.bunge.com}}
{{Finance links
| name = Bunge Global SA
| symbol = BG
| reuters = BG.N
| bloomberg = BG:US
| sec_cik = 1996862
| yahoo = BG
| google = BG:NYSE
}}
*{{OpenCorp|Bunge}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Shurtleff |first1=William |url=https://www.soyinfocenter.com/pdf/233/Cent.pdf |title=History of Central Soya Co., Inc. and of the McMillen Family's Work with Soybeans and Soy Ingredients (1934-2020): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook |last2=Aoyagi |first2=Akiko |date=17 August 2020 |publisher=Soyinfo Center |isbn=9781948436243 |location=Lafayette, CA}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Multinational food companies]]
[[Category:Multinational companies headquartered in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Companies based in St. Louis]]
[[Category:Companies based in Missouri]]
[[Category:Companies based in Geneva]]
[[Category:food and drink companies of Switzerland]]
[[Category:2001 initial public offerings]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1818]]
[[Category:1818 establishments in the Netherlands]]