How was 2024 for Anastacio?

JK: 2024 was a challenging yet rewarding year, delivering strong results across our key market segments, as well as a number of major industry awards and continued growth in our market recognition. Química Anastacio, our chemical product and ingredient distribution wing, maintained its organic growth strategy, achieving double-digit increases in volume and total revenue in 2024 despite high freight costs and extended transit times in the H2 2024. Agriculture and human nutrition recorded the highest growth rates.

MV: Anastacio Overseas, our chemical trading brand, faced a challenging 2024. Trading operations feel the impact of market shocks within days, compared to months in distribution. Despite this, volumes increased, driven by growth in plastics and a restructured agrochemical segment that regained market share and clients. Early 2025 has been similarly volatile, shaped by global political tensions and rapid policy shifts. Increased barriers to foreign trade and anti-dumping measures have prompted sourcing diversification, for example.

Where is Anastacio growing in Latin America?

JK: Química Anastacio operates distribution in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, with Brazil as the largest market and nearing its 85th anniversary in 2026. Mexico has expanded from multinationals to deeper local penetration. Argentina’s shift to a competitive, stable market has driven efficiency measures, specialty launches, and growth plans. Our new Puerto Madero Office strengthens our base in Argentina.

With Colombian distribution set to launch in 2026, Química Anastacio will cover Latin America’s four largest markets, cementing its position as a truly regional distributor and marking a key growth milestone.

MV: The strategic coexistence of its distribution and trading operations within the same markets is a key differentiator. Each operation identifies and serves distinct opportunities, enabling both to grow and strengthen their positions.

Does the company have plans to expand beyond the region?

MV: We are currently focused on Latin America, with Brazil as our primary market for the coming years. Mexico has undergone restructuring, showing early positive results, while Argentina faces renewed competition as the market opens.

The company leverages local leadership in each market, reinforcing its Latin American identity and deep regional knowledge. While sourcing is global, priority regions include Mexico, the Caribbean, Central, and South America. Growth in trading depends heavily on talent, seeking the right people to expand our Anastacio Overseas platform.

Is Anastacio looking to grow more in specialty chemicals?

JK: While maintaining competitiveness in commodities through scale, efficient logistics, tax incentives, and cost advantages, Química Anastacio is launching specialty lines alongside them. Partnerships in specialty segments are enhancing our technical capabilities and supporting the company’s long-term value-added growth strategy. Our recent partnerships with Marbocote and Retilox for the rubber segment exemplify this strategy, offering high-value and technically advanced products.

MV: Anastacio Overseas is always exploring potential for growth in new segments – perhaps aquaculture, ethanol and sugar, cotton, or meat – focusing on adding value to our platform in order to keep growing returns. At Anastacio Overseas, we see our specialism as one of regional expertise – developing deep local knowledge and human resources tailored to each country and client.

What achievements would you highlight in terms of sustainability?

JK: Química Anastacio recently added a sixth core value: promoting ethics and sustainability. The company continuously engages and educates its teams on these principles. We now operate 100% green energy and are improving our ESG ratings each year. Química Anastacio also earned the GHG Protocol certification for completing a full greenhouse gas inventory. 

Química Anastacio has added the promotion of ethics and sustainability in business as its sixth core value, making it a key element of our vision for the future. We remain deeply committed to ESG best practices, as reflected in our certification from Ecovadis and our participation and certification in the GHG Protocol for greenhouse gas emissions. Next year, we will begin actions to offset these emissions, building on the already implemented green energy project in our operations, further reducing our environmental footprint. We are also proud signatories of the United Nations Global Compact, aligning our strategies and operations with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, we have established compliance and sustainable procurement policies that prioritize partners who, like Anastacio, recognize that sustainability is the only path to ensuring the long-term continuity of business.

How is the Anastacio Institute enhancing the company’s social sustainability work?

JK: The Anastacio Institute is one of our main social initiatives, where we directly support around 50 children from a low-income community. Our goal is to strengthen education during after-school hours and provide children and adolescents with opportunities to grow and develop both academically and personally. This project is further enhanced by the active participation of Anastacio’s team, who deliver lectures and professional training sessions across various fields.

In addition to this program, we support several other NGOs aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on poverty eradication, zero hunger and sustainable agriculture, quality education, reduced inequalities, and sustainable cities and communities. To date, we have directed approximately BRL 1 million through our resources, incentive laws, and donations.

Furthermore, we have established a corporate volunteering program that encourages our employees to engage in high-impact social initiatives, reinforcing our commitment to creating long-term value for both society and our stakeholders.

What are your plans for growth in the coming year?

JK: Our strategy remains focused on organic double-digit growth, aiming to keep launching over 10 new products monthly. Specialties are becoming increasingly strategic, supported by technical hires across segments and plans to double the size of application labs by 2026 – expanding into pharma, food ingredients, and cosmetics. Adding Colombia to our distribution footprint will be a key milestone.

A new digital transformation department is working closely with market intelligence to optimize processes, boost productivity, and implement extensive KPIs. This focus on efficiency, speed, and value creation underpins Química Anastacio’s sustainable growth ambitions.

MV: Anastacio Overseas aims for a healthy 12-15% growth in quantities across all active segments. In 2024, as a result of our extraordinary and rapid growth, we began restructuring our human resources, operations, customer service, and processes alongside digital transformation efforts. The focus for the next 1.5 to 2 years is on developing and training the workforce needed to support sustainable growth over the next 5 to 15 years. Investing in people is essential. Without the right talent, growth is impossible; with it, growth will follow naturally.