--- title: "From Raw Materials to Europe: How Ukrainian Agribusiness Boosts Margins and Builds Energy-Independent Plants" description: "Ukrainian agribusiness is changing the rules of the game: from selling raw materials to deep processing and direct exports to the EU. How does the family enterprise «Grandlitoil» use preferential loans and solar power plants to reduce costs and increase profits? We analyze the case in detail. 🌻🇪🇺🏭" date: 2026-07-22T08:34:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukrainian-agro-business-sunflower-oil-export-energy-efficiency-en tags: [grandlitoyl, otp-bank, ebird, ukraine-agro, solar-energy] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # From Raw Materials to Europe: How Ukrainian Agribusiness Boosts Margins and Builds Energy-Independent Plants ![Solar panels at a Ukrainian agribusiness facility, enabling energy independence and margin growth](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/22/ukrainian-agro-business-sunflower-oil-export-energy-efficiency/ukrainian-agro-business-sunflower-oil-export-energy-efficiency-1.webp) For Ukrainian agribusiness, the era of simple solutions is over. War, high energy prices, and low raw material margins are forcing producers to seek new development models. In times of crisis, only those who can transform, optimize costs, and access direct international markets survive. A striking example of this evolution is the enterprise «Grandlitoil». The company's story began in 2016 in the village of Druzhne, when owners, possessing their own farm with a land bank of up to 1,000 hectares, decided not just to sell their harvest but to process it. ### From Crude Oil to Deep Technologies The start was modest: the first plant processed 60 tons of their own sunflower seeds per day, producing only crude oil. However, it soon became evident that processing significantly increased the margin of their own harvest. The potential was recognized, and pressing capacity quickly grew to 100 tons. Six years later, in 2022, the business reached a new level. A second plant was launched in the village of Cherniatyn, equipped with lines for oil refining and deodorization. Its capacity reached 120 tons per day. This stage of development coincided with the transfer of management to the new generation: while the father heads the farm, his daughter and son have taken full responsibility for the operational and strategic management of the plants. «From the very beginning, we understood: simply producing crude oil is not enough. If you want to build a stable business oriented towards international markets, you must meet global standards and create a final product with higher added value», — the company notes. ### Local Connections and Export Ambitions The choice of niche was dictated by regional specifics: there is plenty of sunflower around, ensuring a stable base. Nevertheless, own raw materials cover only 10% of the plant's needs. The remaining 90% is purchased from local farms and agro-enterprises within a radius of about 50 km at market prices. Such a working model strengthens local supply chains and contributes to the economic resilience of communities, which is an important element of the approaches supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) within small and medium business financing programs. To fully load the refining lines, the family business additionally purchases crude oil from 4–5 other regional plants. «For us, this is not just about business. First and foremost, it is about jobs: people stay in the villages, work, and earn money here. This is how communities develop, and it is great for the region», — emphasize the enterprise representatives. A logical continuation of the refining launch was exports. The finished product allowed the company to work directly with European buyers, giving up intermediaries. Attracting an export manager with a ready database of contacts allowed them to build direct sales channels to Moldova, Poland, Bulgaria, Greece, France, and Germany. Volumes are shipped in bulk in flexitanks and tank trucks, while bottling is carried out by partners abroad. ### Financial Maturity and Energy Independence The transition to direct supplies of finished products radically changed the company's status in the eyes of the financial sector. This opened access to OTP Bank's package tools: overdraft for liquidity, a line for raw material procurement, and investment loans. Olena Volkova, Director of the Sales Department for SME Corporate Clients at OTP Bank, notes: «Direct export contracts indicate the maturity of the business and its ability to compete in international markets. For the bank, this means risk diversification: the company is less dependent on fluctuations in domestic demand and has a predictable financial flow. When we see such a model, it positively affects our financing decision». The bank sees the agribusiness demand for efficiency: clients calculate costs at every stage and invest in effective solutions, in particular, in energy autonomy. OTP Bank offers a wide range of programs that allow reducing the payback period for solar power plants (SPP) and storage systems to 2–3 years, as well as reducing costs per 1 kW of energy by 14 times. The arsenal of tools includes the state program «5-7-9», EBRD cashback up to 30%, and joint partner programs of the bank with a rate of 0.01% for the first months of the deal. It is important that these programs can be combined in one project, obtaining the most favorable conditions. After the payback period, the company effectively gets free electricity, which is critical for reducing the cost of production in conditions of instability.