P ROD U C T ION With more than $136.7 billion in sales and revenue over the 2013 fiscal year and facilities in 67 countries around the world, it’s undisputed that Cargill is one of the biggest agricultural and food processing companies in the world. But just because you’re big does not mean that you’re completely immune to disaster. There are some things that no one can fully plan for, but that can seriously affect your business. One of those things is having a production facility in a region that has ended up being at the center of a political conflict marked by increasing violence. When you’ve been in business for over a century and are operating in 67 countries, to have at least one of those countries fall into conflict at one time or another is practically assured. Cargill experienced that firsthand this summer, as tensions have escalated in Eastern Ukraine. In midJuly, its sunflower-processing plant in Donetsk was seized and occupied by a group of “armed individuals.” Then in August a grain silo at the plant caught fire, caused by a missile strike. This isn’t even the first disaster that Cargill has weathered this 10
October 2014
One of Cargills many facitities
‘Cargill is one of the biggest agricultural and food processing companies in the world. But just because you’re big does not mean that you’re completely immune to disaster. ’