04/10/2012 17h20

Joint Venture between Solazyme and Bunge will invest BRL 180 million in the countryside of São Paulo

The new plant will have support from Investe São Paulo and will employ 80 workers; beginning of activities is scheduled for the second half of 2013

Solazyme Bunge Produtos Renováveis and Investe São Paulo, investment attraction Agency of the State Government, signed this Tuesday, April 10, at Palácio dos Bandeirantes, with the presence of Governor Geraldo Alckmin, a memorandum of interest for the investment of BRL 180 million in the construction and operation of a new plant of renewable oils, in an area neighboring the Moema plant, owned by Bunge Brazil, in the municipality of Orindiúva, 467 km from the capital, in the region of São José do Rio Preto.

"We are also taking a Technological Park to the region of São José do Rio Preto for bringing the companies closer to the research centers. We are partners of the entrepreneurs, count on us and on Investe São Paulo”, remarked Alckmin.

Solazyme Bunge Produtos Renováveis will count on the support of Investe São Paulo – Agência Paulista de Promoção de Investimentos e Competitividade (agency for the promotion of investment and competitiveness), State Government agency linked to the Ministry of Economic Development, Science and Technology – which will provide support services for the training of skilled labor and interaction with research centers, in addition to environmental, tax and infrastructure consultancy.

"We have 20 facilities in the State of São Paulo. We are in São Paulo for the same time we are in Brazil. We are the largest agricultural exporter in the Country and third largest exporter in Brazil. We are very proud, as Brazilians, to be here announcing this investment”, said Chairman and CEO of Bunge Brazil, Pedro Parente.

The new plant will use the customized oil production technology of Solazyme, coupled with the production and cane processing capacity of Bunge, to produce custom triglyceride oils, used in non-food industrial applications within the domestic market.

"Our technology is to transform sugar in special oils by modifying its DNA. There are no other factories such as this in the world. The first one will be here, in the State of São Paulo”, explained the Director of Bunge Global Innovation, Miguel Oliveira.

“This new company shows the strength of the State of São Paulo. We are leaders in the production of sugar and sugar cane. We hope the enterprise is very successful and implement new investments”, said State Secretary of Economic Development, Science and technology, Paulo Alexandre Barbosa.

The beginning of activities of the new plant, which will employ 80 workers, is scheduled for the second half of 2013; the expected annual capacity is 100 thousand tons of oil. “The company's investment will create new jobs in the region of São José do Rio Preto, collaborating for the unbiased development of the State”, said the Chairman of Investe SP, Luciano Almeida.

The factory, which will be equally financed by Solazyme and Bunge, was designed to integrate with a new cogeneration unit at the Moema Plant and might be enlarged in accordance with future market demand.

The State Secretaries of Energy, José Aníbal; of Finance, Andrea Calabi; the Director of Investe São Paulo, Hans Schaeffer and Investment and Business manager of the Agency, Marco Goes also attended the signing ceremony of the memorandum of interest.

About Investe SP
Investe São Paulo - São Paulo state agency for the promotion of investment and competitiveness is the front door for companies wishing to settle in the State and stimulates the expansion of ventures that are already in São Paulo. The Agency provides, free of charge, strategic information that help investors find the best locations for their businesses and facilitates the contact of companies with public and private bodies.

The Agency proposes policies that contribute to the attraction of new domestic and international investments to the State of São Paulo, with the goal of boosting the competitiveness of the economy in São Paulo, the reduction of regional inequalities, generation of employment and income for the population and technological innovation.

The Agency is currently involved with 65 projects in the portfolio, which account for a potential investment of BRL 31.9 billion, with capacity to generate about 59 thousand direct jobs. As yet, the work of Investe SP contributed so that 22 enterprises could invest BLR 10.7 billion in the construction of their factories in the State, employing more than 19 thousand workers.

About Solazyme, Inc.
Solazyme, Inc. is a company that operates with renewable oils and bio-products that transform a range of herbal and low-cost sugars into high-value oils. Headquartered in the South San Francisco, Solazyme’s renewable products can replace or enrich oils derived from three sources in the world – oil, plants and animal fats. Initially, Solazyme is focused on commercializing its products in three target markets: (1) chemicals and fuels, (2) nutrition and (3) skin care and personal care. Solazyme®, Solazyme logo, other trademarks or service names are registered trademarks of Solazyme, Inc.

About Bunge Global Innovation LLC
Bunge Global Innovation is a cross-functional team that applies cutting-edge technologies and thoughts to disseminate innovation in all of Bunge's business segments. Its mission is to prospect, develop, buy, sell or license technologies that improve Bunge’s sustainability, profitability and competitive advantage.

About Bunge Limited
Bunge Limited is a global company, leader in agribusiness and food products, with approximately 32 thousand employees in more than 30 countries. Bunge buys, sells, stores, and conveys grains and oilseeds to serve customers from all over the world; processes oilseeds to make bran for animal nutrition and edible oil for customers and consumers; produces sugar and ethanol from sugar cane; crushes wheat and corn to make ingredients used in food industries; and commercializes fertilizers in North and South America. Founded in 1818, the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.