1948 - 1952 The Founding Stage
Nineteen pioneers accompanied Adrián Urquía on his founding project. The first plant began to operate using six secondhand batch presses on July 22, 1948.
Nineteen pioneers accompanied Adrián Urquía on his founding project. The first plant began to operate using six secondhand batch presses on July 22, 1948.
Linseed began to give way to other crops such as sunflower seed and peanuts. AGD incorporated technology and expanded its production capacity from 30 to 150 tons a day
AGD’s plant increased its crushing capacity to 250 tons a day. It launched its first brands of refined edible oil: Deheza, Gacela and La Batelera.
With the first solvent-based extraction system, AGD’s technological revolution commences. Production capacity increases by 200 tons a day.
A price stampede in oilseeds. AGD’s production was already sold at pre-crisis prices. The producers and workers joined forces to prevent closure of the firm
Recovery was rapid. AGD resumed investments in new technology, increasing its installed capacity to 400 tons a day. It inaugurates a storage warehouse and begins to export.
New strategic investments multiply production. The Chabás Plant is inaugurated. The silo storage capacity increases. The first port installations on the Paraná river are built.
In 1979 AGD inaugurated a confectionery grade peanut selection facility in General Deheza. In 1982 AGD bought its third solvent extraction plant, thus increasing the production capacity of the General Deheza plant.
Exports were growing so fast that they were saturating the logistics chain, despite constant investment. That was the reason for launching the Terminal 6, project, on the Paraná-Paraguay waterway.
New plants are inaugurated and the Natura, Manley's, Mayoliva and Runny's brands are successfully launched. Control of Nuevo Central Argentino railroad is resumed.
Natura obtains ISO 9001certification. Plants are opened in Dalmacio Vélez and Alejandro Roca, and also the most modern soybean processing plant in the world: Terminal 6. A branch office of AGD is opened in Russia.
Sojola, our soybean oil and dressings brand, is born. Also, Natura vegetable spray is produced. One of the largest warehouses in Latin America is built: Ferro 7. A boiler burning husk starts operating in April 2001, bringing enormous benefits to the care of the environment. At the end of 2004 a new Soy Hot Dehulling Plant starts operating. Natura Classic Olive Oil, Extra Quality is launched to the market in August 2005. Two new oil brands: Mazola and Copisi are incoporated in November of the same year.
The commitment undertaken by Aceitera General Deheza in preserving the environment was ratified by the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when this organization certified the reduction in gas emissions that cause greenhouse effect in the industrial processes of the plants located in General Deheza. In this way, AGD became the first company in the food industry and one of the ten argentine companies to obtain this certification that shows the commitment with the environment preservation (april 2007).
Ecofuel S.A is a biodiesel production plant located in Puerto General San Martín (Province of Santa Fe). Production begins in September 2007
In the same site, and in order to give added value to their products, a manufacturing glycerin plant was constructed in Industrial T6 (June 2009).
In November 2011 start working in General Deheza the Reflex Plant. It has solvent extraction and becomes the first of its kind with"Zero Effluent" technology . The system used consist of transforming the water steam of the plant effluents to reuse in the same industrial process.
Natura’s Olive Oils, both Classic Natura and Intense, were launched by AGD in September 2012. In November 2012 - The Natura family grows. Natura adds ketchup, mustard and golf sauce to its line of dressings.
Promaíz S.A. is a joint venture between Aceitera General Deheza S.A. and Bunge Argentina S.A. It's a corn processing plant built in Alejandro Roca (in the province of Córdoba) that started producing in August 2013. The industrial complex processes 350,000 tons of corn a year. In its first stage, it produces 140,000 cubic meters of ethanol and 100,000 tons of protein for animal feed. In the very near future it projects to produce corn meal, oil, syrup and other byproducts.
Through the enforcement of the Good Practices Guide to make gluten-free oils, refined oils are now fit for celiacs, identifying “Gluten-free” on the labels.
During the last semester, Natura Blend was put on the market. It is described as the perfect combination of pure sunflower oil and extra- virgin olive oil.
Last June, Natura introduced to the market Olive Oil Cooking Spray in a practical package that allows dosing an exact quantity of product and cooking tasty, healthy and light meals.
Processed with different varietals of selected olives, Natura Oliva added to its family of products a new Extra-virgin Oil named Selección Especial (October, 2015).
Adrián P. Urquía and 19 pioneers who accompanied him made their dream come true on July 22, 1948. Seventy years later, AGD is a modern agro-industrial complex that exhibits a unique position in the Argentine and world markets due to its levels of integration, diversification and technology.