Illustrative image. (source: TASR)
Just 18 years ago, the Slovak company Envien Group began producing bioethanol. Over the years, it expanded into Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, and Croatia—becoming a key player in the Central European biofuel market.
Now, the company is reaching even further—investing in projects on opposite sides of the globe. Following a major announcement about investing in India to produce biofuels, Envien Group has also entered the Brazilian market, the world’s second-largest producer of biofuels, reports the Hospodárske Noviny daily.
Investment in India
Envien Group began its expansion into India two years ago by partnering with local firm Zuari Industries. A new distillery is currently under construction in northern India, focusing on rice-based biofuel production. Its initial daily capacity will be 180,000 litres, with plans to increase this to one million litres over time, depending on market demand.
One of the key reasons for entering the Indian market is its large capacity and the availability of a skilled workforce.
Envien Group is part of the AZC Group. Another AZC company, Nymwag CS—a Czech manufacturer of freight wagons—has partnered with Indian company Texmaco Rail & Engineering to produce 2,400 rail wagons per year in Kolkata. Production is expected to begin this year, with the first wagons set to roll out next year.
Investment in Brazil
Meanwhile, in South America, Envien Group has acquired a 50 percent stake in Agropéu Agro Industrial de Pompéu, a Brazilian company that produces sugar, bioethanol, and green electricity. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
“We found a partner in Brazil who, like us, is a family business with a history very similar to ours,” said Róbert Spišák, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AZC Group.
Agropéu is based in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais. The company employs over 1,000 people and produces 1.5 million tonnes of sugarcane annually.
