Cristal Union: French beet sugar, alcohol and bioethanol
Cristal Union is a French cooperative group with 9,000 members, turning sugar beet into sugar, alcohol and bioethanol for food and industrial customers.
Cristal Union is a French cooperative group that turns sugar beet grown by its members into sugar, alcohol and bioethanol.
France · Cooperative of sugar beet growers
Cristal Union is a French cooperative group whose structure and operations are based on the cooperative model. The growers who supply its sugar beet are its members, and the group processes their beet at its sugar factories into sugar, alcohol and bioethanol. Cristal Union is primarily based in France and generates a large proportion of its sales abroad. Its ethyl alcohol is produced from sugar beet, whole wheat and wine substrates, so it draws on several agricultural raw materials.
For members, the cooperative works through beet delivery agreements and a quality-based settlement for each delivery. Once the beet reaches the factory, sugar is extracted for food and industrial customers, while other streams go into alcohol and bioethanol, which is used as a fuel component. Co-products from beet processing add further value. Food sugar, alcohol and bioethanol each have their own specifications, so industrial customers deal with them as separate product lines.
Size of the business
Cristal Union has 9,000 cooperative members and more than 2,000 employees, the company reports.
What does the company offer?
Cristal Union offers sugar, alcohol and bioethanol, along with co-products from sugar beet processing.
How should a buyer make contact?
Cristal Union's sales are organised by business unit, and its website lists the contacts for sugar, alcohol and bioethanol customers. Enquiries are easiest to handle when they set out the intended application, project scale and required timing.
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