local and global impact
Our History
The plant initiated its operations back in 1988, first as a distillery of sugarcane for ethanol production, then as an organic sugarcane mill, before adding back distilling capacities in 2023.
Our agro-industrial facilities are located in the town of Santa Maria de Fé, 225 km south of Asunción, capital city of the República del Paraguay and 15 km from San Ignacio, the larger city in the surroundings with regards to transport, public institution among others. The city is located in the Misiones region, one of the 17 departments of Paraguay.
It is within this region that the Jesuits started their South-American evangelisation in the 16th century. They built protected reserves and missions to educate native populations and show them how to work the fields and have cattles.
CHRONOLOGY
Start of the operations of the ethanol distillery under the name INSAMA. We are proud to say today that we have more than 30 years experience in the sugarcane industry.
CHRONOLOGY
The sugar plant started its organic transition to better protect the soil and the people. It has been, since then, a continuous commitment from the producers and the company to always provide a high quality, multi-certified product.
CHRONOLOGY
The first volume of organic sugar was exported thanks to the first international organic certification. Year after year, we have made sure to respond to the world’s demand in terms of social and environmental challenges and requirements.
CHRONOLOGY
Following numerous years of financial struggle and near bankruptcy, Abbeyfield Group, an irish rooted family investment group, bought the sugar mill to restructure the company and increase its production capacity, thus ensuring its viability and continued relevance within the Santa Maria community. To mark such new beginnings, the company changed its name to Hibernia Misiones.
CHRONOLOGY
Abbeyfield Group opens the equity to a local industrial group specialized in ethanol production. The combined partnership adds agricultural and industrial expertise to Hibernia, bringing improved efficiency, increased production capabilities and better practices. It also lays down the foundation for Hibernia to return to ethanol production in 2023.
CHRONOLOGY
Since 2019, Hibernia Misiones has continuously developed new products, through new certifications, and new markets to respond to an ever-increasing client base. Nowadays, the company exports to nearly all continents, Europe, North America, Asia and Oceanía being its main markets.
CHRONOLOGY
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“None of Hibernia Misiones’ recent history would have been possible without the trust and fidelity of our clients. We thank them for their continued support and look forward to continuing delivering quality organic products around the world for many years to come”
OUR BRAND
HIBERNIA MISIONES
Established in 2011
OUR VALUES
Since 2011, our core values are based on three key pillars that have enabled Hibernia Misiones to differentiate itself in an increasingly uniform organic sugar market.
Focus on taylor-made specialties sugar production
Broad spectrum of certifications allowing multiple combinations
Support to the local community
Hibernia Misiones’ organic sugarcane is grown locally, on a total of over 1,800 hectares. Of this, approximately 265 hectares are owned by some 170 private small local farmers.
Hibernia Misiones provides regular free technical advice and support to these small farmers to ensure they can comply with all the necessary organic certification standards. As part of this ongoing training and assistance program, special emphasis is placed on the management and rotation of crops, such as sesame, mung beans, chrotalarium, etc. To ensure the long term viability of the natural soil.
THE PLANT
FROM PARAGUAY TO THE WORLD
The opportunity to produce organic cane sugar came naturally back in 2000 to expand the market share of the company. Following a 3-year transition period, Hibernia Misiones received its full organic certification and started to export its first organic sugar production to Europe.
Our engineering team has successfully managed, over the years, to increase the sugar mill’s productivity to respond to our customers’ needs both in terms of quantity and quality.
In 2019, the Company embarked, thanks to its new shareholder, on a massive modernization and industrial development programme: a new boiler was first installed allowing a better combustion with a higher steam generation volume, a new milling line allowed increased crushing volume and a better juice extraction ratio and bagasse dryness to improve combustion in the boiler.
Adding an additional automatic juice extractor (= centrifuger), a “cooking pot” (= tacho de cocimiento) and another filter (= Turbo filtro) improved automatisation and quality of the industrial process.
Today, Hibernia Misiones produces high quality sugar with low levels of impurities and sediments.
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THE TEAM
SANTA MARIA (PLANT)
During the crop period (May-October), the total number of employees working for HIBERNIA MISIONES increases to 275 persons in the plant and the fields of Santa Maria de Fe, spread across all departments: Production, Quality, Agriculture, Maintenance, Security, Logistics, HR, etc.
Hibernia Misiones is the only substantial private employer in and around the city of 12,000 inhabitants and therefore fulfills a vitally important part in the local economy.
ASUNCIÓN (CORPORATE OFFICE)
Located in the company’s headquarters in Asuncion, our administrative team is in charge of Accounting, Logistics, Customer service, Sales and Marketing, permanently connected with our colleagues in Santa Maria.
HIBERNIA ensures that training and internal mobility is available to all staff to further their careers paths and develop their interests in all aspects of the company’s operations, markets and products..
Worldwide presence
Like 95% of all Paraguayan exports, all our export production is shipped on containers on the Paraguay river to ports in Argentina and Uruguay for further travels to all global destinations.
We can operate from any ports on the Parguay river, from Pilar in the South to all ports located in Asuncion, the country’s capital.