Europe Crop United (ECU) markets all cereals and oilseeds, but corn and wheat are predominant, representing over 90% of the volume. ECU has a dual function: selling the harvests from its parent companies and developing a trading business. We can leverage the infrastructure of our parent companies, namely 14 port silos on the Rhine from Huningue to Ludwigshafen, which allows us to optimize our deliveries throughout the year. We are a Franco-German team of five people with extensive experience in grain trading and fulfillment. From our headquarters in Strasbourg, near the Rhine, we monitor price developments on international markets and plan our deliveries. The ZG in Karlsruhe and the CAC in Colmar guarantee the quality and traceability of our products.

ECU in a few figures

July 1, 2019: Creation of ECU, the very first cross-border grain trading company, resulting from the merger of two cooperatives, CAC in Colmar and ZG in Karlsruhe. A team of 5 people with a combined 80 years of experience in the grain industry, encompassing trading, execution, and logistics. One of ECU's objectives is to trade 1 million tons, and also to become a key player in the Rhine Basin. A major strength of ECU is its 700,000-ton storage capacity in 14 port silos along a 240 km waterway from Huningue to Ludwigshafen.

Our roadmap

“Alone we go faster, together we go further” – combining strengths while remaining independent. With the creation of ECU, CAC and ZG have capitalized on their achievements by building on their core strengths and have reinforced their positioning through joint marketing, to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The foundation of this cooperation is based on mutual respect and trust. ECU is an alliance with strong roots but resolutely focused on the future. The creation of this company is innovative; there is no precedent between two agricultural cooperatives. It brings together expertise and international experience. We have implemented, in our own way, a European model where everyone can find their place and also benefit from potential synergies while preserving their identity and specific characteristics. ECU is not an end in itself; on the contrary, it is an intercultural company open to other partners who share its values and ambitions. Our focus today is primarily on marketing corn and wheat to our European end customers: starch manufacturers, millers, feed manufacturers, and ethanol producers. Our parent companies are reliable partners in the areas of collection and quality, which secures our market access. We are a young and innovative company seeking growth opportunities. Our commitment to quality, volume security, flexibility, and efficiency will ensure these prospects. We are customer-centric, and our main concern is to earn their trust and, above all, to maintain it.

Dr. Holger Löbbert

President

In the context of globalization of markets, agricultural cooperatives face fierce competition; they must adapt by building relationships with other cooperative actors in order to consolidate their core business.

The creation of ECU is an important step in the relationship maintained for many years by CAC and ZG and results from a shared vision of the two boards of directors.

His ambition is to:

Create a new model around the common economic area between Basel and Mannheim
Develop a strategy to promote the quality of products from Alsace and Baden-Württemberg
Anticipating and supporting the transformation of the agricultural model
Sustain and secure the market launch

It will rely on the complementarity and specificity of the two cooperatives in terms of territories, activities and markets, and these are a major asset for its success.

Our values

Trust

The cement of all cooperation, both upstream and downstream.

Opening

Open-mindedness but also towards other partnerships.

Innovation and modernity

One of the key success factors.

Growth

One of the objectives to strengthen ourselves.

Orientation client

The heart of our business: customer satisfaction.