Sipef Group

SociŽtŽ Internationale de Plantations et de Finance (Sipef) was incorporated in 1919 with the principal aims of promoting and managing plantation companies which would operate in both tropical and sub-tropical areas. At that time the company had two "agencies", one operating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the other in Medan, Indonesia. The company gradually developed into a diversified agro-industrial group with processing and shipping facilities in Asia and Oceania, Africa and South America, and with the management of important plantations of traditional crops like rubber, palm oil and tea. As from 1970 other crops such as bananas, pineapples, ornamental plants, guava and pepper were introduced and the group also invested in real estate in Belgium and the United States of America, but this activity has been phased out. An insurance business, originating from our involvement in commodities and their shipping, has been extended and now includes a wide range of insurance services. In de last decade Sipef has been concentrating its agro-industrial activities exclusively on the production of palm oil, rubber, tea and bananas in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Ivory Coast. These own products are marketed by the group worldwide. In addition Sipef provides management and marketing services for third parties. Currently the estates extend to some 67 989 planted hectares. The Sipef group has investments in three different groups of estate companies with operations in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra and West Java with a central management office in Medan North Sumatra. All the estates are managed by the Sipef group.