AGRANA’s Worldwide Focus on Sustainability
AGRANA, an internationally oriented Austrian company, adds value to agricultural commodities to produce top quality foodstuffs and numerous industrial upstream products. With its close dependence on agricultural crops, AGRANA is passionately committed to the careful use and conservation of natural resources.
The company was founded in 1988 and is now the leading sugar company in Central and Eastern Europe as well as being a key producer, in the Starch segment, of special products and bioethanol in Europe. Starches are sold both to the food and beverage industry as well as into non-food industries (for example, the paper, textiles and building materials sectors). AGRANA is also the global leader in fruit preparations and one of the largest European producers of fruit juice concentrates. Around 8,800 people are employed at over 50 production facilities on all five continents.
AGRANA’s aim is to provide both its globally operating and its regional customers worldwide with high product quality, optimum service and innovative product development ideas and expertise. In line with the principle of sustainable, circular flows of resources, an important role is also played by valuable co-products of sugar and starch production at AGRANA, used for instance in the production of bioethanol, animal feed and fertilizer. AGRANA’s efficient use of raw materials is both an economic imperative and a way of practicing corporate responsibility. The high utilisation rate of raw materials of 98.6-99.9% reflects technological innovativeness and product development capabilities. The results of AGRANA’s Zero Waste Principle are eloquent proof that environmental and social responsibility are compatible with business logic, and show how AGRANA has internalised this fundamental principle of sustainability in its day-to-day operations.
The new AGRANA Research & Innovation Centre (ARIC), the central research and development facility of the AGRANA Group, focuses inter alia on food innovations for Clean Label, nutritional physiology, sweeteners and flavourings.
AGRANA Starch – 100% GMO-free Raw Materials
AGRANA Starch and its subsidiaries process agricultural raw materials (corn, potatoes and wheat) into high-quality starches and specialty starch products custom-designed for a wide range of specific customer requirements. Customer loyalty is based on delivery reliability, support by application advice, customer-specific adaptions and continuous product development.
AGRANA sells only starches not derived from genetically modified organisms, which meets the growing demand of customers for non-GMO products. Producing Infant Formula for decades established AGRANA as one of the most experienced and important infant nutrition manufacturers. AGRANA Infant Formula is free from preservatives, artificial flavourings, colorants and cereal protein gluten.
Organic Products
AGRANA is one of the largest organic food manufacturers in Europe and the largest producer of organic starch in the European Union. AGRANA was early to recognise the growing public awareness of sustainablity and health issues as well as the related increase in demand for organic products. The company now offers a range of independently certified organic products in all of its business segments.
AGRANA Starch has focused for twenty years on organic ingredients derived from organic potatoes, corn and waxy corn and has become worldwide market leader in the production of organic corn starch, maltodextrin and dextrose. The AGRANA production facilities at Aschach (Upper Austria) and Gmünd (Lower Austria) are among the first processing plants in Europe to be certified as organic processors under EU Directive 834/2007 as amended (an ordinance governing organic farming methods and the labelling of agricultural produce and food).
AGRANA’s Latest Innovations – 70% Fat Reduction
As combined on-pack claims like ‘natural, organic and fat-reduced’ now attract the consumer’s attention, AGRANA has developed a new organic pregelatinised maize starch – QuemLite® Bio – perfect to produce fat-reduced mayonnaises, sauces and dressings and notably an organic cook-up waxy corn starch – AgenaLite®Bio – for fat-reduced sweet bread-spread like coconut or hazelnut cream – two perfect examples of AGRANA’s customer-driven innovations.
AGRANA’s high level organic products stand for ‘quality made in Austria’ inspiring the consumer’s confidence: ‘We starch your organic innovations!’
For more information please contact AGRANA Starch Austria: info.staerke@agrana.com or visit www.agrana.com.