British International Investment

Feronia Inc

Democratic Republic of CongoCentral AfricaFood and agriculture

Feronia Inc is an agricultural production and processing business in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At its heart lies a long-established palm oil business, Plantations et Huileries du Congo S.A (PHC), which has three remote plantations: Lokutu, Yaligimba and Boteka.

Set up by Lever Brothers in 1911 and once one of the most important businesses in the DRC, the business suffered decades of under-investment due to the civil conflict in the DRC prior to its acquisition by Feronia in 2009. Feronia was established to facilitate the rebuilding of the business from a state of near-collapse.

Following substantial investments, the company now has over 20,000 planted hectares and three functioning mills, making it one of the largest palm oil businesses in Africa.

The produce is entirely consumed within the DRC which is historically a strong consumer and producer of palm oil. It is now a substantial net importer.

Investments made by BII in this company:

Investment name Commitment Region Sector Start date Status
Investment 01 $18.1m Business and consumer services November 2013 Exited
Investment 02 $23.28m Business and consumer services January 2015 Exited
Investment 03 $1.8m Business and consumer services December 2016 Exited
Investment 04 $5.14m Business and consumer services June 2018 Exited
Investment 05 $1.5m Business and consumer services December 2018 Exited
Investment 06 $5.5m Business and consumer services March 2019 Exited
Investment 07 $1.5m Business and consumer services May 2019 Exited
Investment 08 $439.59k Business and consumer services May 2019 Exited
Investment 09 $16m Business and consumer services October 2019 Exited
Investment 10 $4.5m Business and consumer services March 2020 Exited

Subscribe to receive our latest news and updates