Agribusiness and commodity giant Bunge is navigating supply chain and geopolitical shocks with its global crushing capacity, port facilities, and logistics network, which expanded thanks to a merger with grains and oilseed originator and processor Viterra, executives shared during the ag giant’s investor day.
“The last few years, we’ve navigated trade disputes, pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, biofuel and trade policy changes — all while continuing to protect and grow our earnings. And why is that? That’s because Bunge is built for complexity and change,” Greg Heckman, Bunge CEO, said during the investor day.
He added, “If the next five years is equally as complex — or even more complex — the addition of Viterra ... enhances our diversification, our capabilities, and our scale, meaning that we’re even better positioned to serve our customers’ evolving needs.”
How Bunge responded to soybean volatility in 2025
The agriculture industry faces rising uncertainty and volatility as the Iran war poses a threat to the flow of fertiliser, energy, and other commodities. Bunge can respond to these shocks in a beneficial way for the ag company, explained Julio Garros, COO at Bunge.
For instance, Bunge found an opportunity to capitalise on the volatility facing the soybean market in 2025, spurred by the Trump administration’s trade war with China. Amid China’s pullback on U.S. soybeans, Bunge connected its U.S. supplies with crushing demand in Europe, Garros explained.
Then, China and the U.S. reached a truce in trade negotiations, which resulted in China committing to buy soybeans from the U.S., raising commodity prices in the process. Bunge capitalized on this by diverting the European stock of soybeans to China, replacing the European supply with cheaper Brazilian crops, Garros said.
“This is a simple example of how when you have a disruption, or when you have these dislocations, our network and our model is able to switch the flows and extract extra margin from those operations while connecting our growers with our customers. ... You can imagine that what is happening right now in the world is also another opportunity for Bunge to continue doing more of these types of activities,” he elaborated.
Bunge’s Viterra merger expands global network
Bunge is better responding to supply chain shocks, thanks in part to its merger with Viterra, completed on July 2, 2025. The deal was designed to balance Bunge’s supply chain across regions and increase the number of origination markets to source its various commodities, the company shared in a release.
Viterra operated 30 processing and refining facilities in 11 countries, including 13 oilseed crushing plants, 12 processing mills, 6 biodiesel plants, and 2 sugarcane mills, according to the company website.
Bunge expects to realize $190 million worth of cost synergies this year by connecting origination networks and processing capacity, improving port capacity, and implementing other initiatives, the company shared in a presentation.
