Aller Aqua Group has, in cooperation with IFU (Investment Fund for Developing Countries), bought the majority of an Egyptian family company in 2011. In 2014 the company has finished a brand new state of the art fish feed factory in Egypt. It is this factory – Egypt’s largest and most modern production of environmentally friendly, extruded fish feed – which is going to be inaugurated.
Aller Aqua Egypt, as the Egyptian company is called, has in this connection invested a large sum of money in the area called ”6th of October City”, situated a one hour drive from Cairo.
“The momentum we have managed to create in Egypt since 2011 creates the basis for this extraordinary expansion, giving us the opportunity to triple sales,” explains Henrik Halken, Chairman of Aller Aqua Egypt.
Mr Halken continues: “We are very excited to welcome more than 200 guests to Aller Aqua Egypt on Tuesday the 3 March."
Egypt – a challenging market
"We have settled well in Egypt, where the daily management, with great experience and a huge drive, are co-owners and thereby motivated to create a success story.
"Since 2009, when we first travelled to Egypt, a great deal has happened politically in the country. We experience daily challenges, which we wouldn’t even contemplate in Denmark. For the first year it could take up to three days to get petrol for the trucks transporting raw materials to the factory – great planning was essential for success! We have also had to accommodate all our employees at the factory during the most recent revolution, during which President Mursi was overthrown.
"Managing a company in Egypt makes it a necessity for frequent visits, staying close to the customers and to allocate the necessary resources for training and education of both our staff and our customers. Further it is crucial to have skilled local management – which we have!
"We believe in the market and a bright future in Egypt, and the growth during the last year strengthens this belief.
"We experience a great interest in our project from various politicians, and thus we have had visits from both the Danish Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, The Danish Ambassador and several local Egyptian politicians. It is obvious that we, with our production which help create jobs, healthy food and a significantly better environment for our customers, experience a great deal of attention in Denmark and Egypt, as well as internationally.”
Aller Aqua – an expanding company
"Aller Aqua has, since the beginning of fish feed production 50 years ago, experienced continuous growth. Besides the factory in Christiansfeld, Denmark, we built a factory in Poland in 2001 and in Germany in 2007. Besides a modern fish feed factory, the latter further consists of a factory for the production of protein derived from peas and broad beans."
Hans Erik Bylling, majority shareholder and managing director in the Aller Aqua Group, explains that the company now sells its fish feed to more than 50 countries worldwide.
“We have a clear and concise strategy in Aller Aqua, designed to create further growth over the coming years – and investments like the one in Egypt is one of the tools to reach our targets, as well as the continued growth in existing and new markets," said Mr Bylling.
"2014 has been a busy year for us, as we have further inaugurated our new research center in Büsum, Germany. This helps bring us to the forefront in the development of new efficient types of feed – with increased focus on better utilisation of raw materials.
"In addition we are proud to have been awarded a German innovation award for this particular effort.
"Aquaculture is today the fastest growing food sector – and more than half of the fish consumed globally are farmed fish. Thus we focus on growing our activities in several of the world’s emerging markets,” Mr Bylling explained.
