Olera® Shortenings and Oils, the food products division of Global Agri-trade Corporation (GATC), is taking another major step in its commitment to be a competitive supplier of 100% RSPO certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) products in North America.
Olera has added new CSPO Segregated (SG) grade Olera® shortenings to its product line in the first quarter of 2016. The new Olera® shortenings will be available as cubes, beads, flakes and in bags drums, totes and bulk.
The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a not-for-profit organization entrusted to promote the growth and use of certified sustainable palm oil. It was established in 2004 by a group comprising of stakeholders in seven sectors of global supply chain business as a result of a worldwide call for sustainably produced palm oil.
As one of its key missions, RSPO facilitates an independent program that certifies the production of palm oil is done in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Palm oil produced in compliance to stringent criteria and standard set by RSPO can then be offered as certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO).
Just like any certified product, CSPO demands a premium over conventional palm oil. The premium increases with the level of traceability as defined within the RSPO supply chain system. With a high level of traceability, CSPO at the Segregated (SG) level attracts one of the highest premiums.
While many users of palm oil in the consuming countries are committed to CSPO, its greater growth especially SG grades has been somewhat held back due to the premium; an issue further confounded by CSPO supply chain challenges.
Commenting on these challenges, Jignesh Bhatt, Executive Director for GATC, “leveraging our logistics expertise, dedicated members of our company, and our intimate relationship with key suppliers of CSPO, we are able to seamlessly import and distribute CSPO products to our customers in the US and Canada that have made a superior commitment to sustainability for palm oil at highly competitive prices since 2013.”
Bhatt adds, “This started back in 2011 with a worldwide call for sustainably produced palm oil. That’s when our group first participated in developing criteria for sustainability of palm oil. Since then, GATC and its affiliate in Canada, Natu’oil Services Inc., have steadily grown to become a premier supplier of CSPO products in North America.”
About Global Agri-trade Corporation
Global Agri-trade Corporation (GATC), a privately owned company located in Long Beach, Calif., is one of the largest importers of origin packaged palm oil and coconut oil products sold in North America under the brand names Olera® and Copia respectively. The company has distribution centers in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Washington, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario, and Quebec. With a combined experience of more than 100 years in the oils and fats industry, the technical and trading experts at GATC have been providing excellence in customer service and product quality to customers in North America since 2003.
In the US, GATC will be exhibiting at NPEW, SCIFT, IDDBA, IFT Annual Meeting and IBIE. In Canada, Natu’oil will be showcasing Olera® shortening products at CIFST2016 National Conference, BCFT Suppliers Night and Bakery Showcase.
For more information:
Global Agri-trade Corporation
320 Golden Shore, Suite 350, Long Beach, CA, 90802
562.320.8550
shorteninginfo@globalagritrade.com
www.olera.com