„A Hungarian grain trader has entered the local market through an association with Leo Lambrea”

"In the first full year of activity, 2018, we expect a turnover of 25 million euros."

Leo Lambrea, former head of BriseGroup's trading division, became associate of UBM Agri Trade, part of UBM Group, one of Hungary's largest grain and oil traders, with a stake of 10% which entered the Romanian market this summer.

"UBM Group is the market leader in Hungary and they want to open an office in Romania." I joined in partnership with them, we have already opened together a new company using the same name, they have 90% of the company, I have 10%, I am the general manager and the commercial manager of the company. I had known them for a very long time, 10 years ago since I worked for Cargill and we were competitors. UBM approached me, they proposed this partnership, I found it interesting and I said OK, " Leo Lambrea, General Manager and Commercial Director of UBM Agri Trade, told ZF.

The activity of the newly established company will focus, first of all, on the purchase of cereals and oilseeds, both from import and local farmers, raw material to be marketed by the Romanian processing industry, for example, combined feed factories, mills or oil-producing factories.

"The company is set up for over a month and a half, we're still recruiting. Half of the activity will be import and distribution of soybean meal and the other half of grain purchases from farmers in Romania to distribute them locally. If possible, we also send for export, but less in the first phase" said Leo Lambrea.

With a share capital of 100,000 euros, UBM Agri Trade counts on business deals in 25 million euros in 2018, the first full year of activity.

"It will be pure trading, that is, apart from the 100,000 euros capital we start with, we do not plan to invest in assets. We simply rent out spaces, trucks and we carry goods from A to B. In the first full year of activity, 2018, we expect a turnover of up to 25 million euros because soybeans are expensive, four times more expensive than a ton of wheat, for example."

Leo Lambrea has been working in the grain trade since 2007 when he received the trainee management position at Cargill, working for more than 8 years for the US company, with Cargill's last position being a merchandising manager, according to information available on its account on Linkedin. In March 2016 he held the position of Head of Trade Division of BriseGroup, a local trader for which he worked for almost a year and a half before he joined the UBM Group.

Leo Lambrea graduated in 2007, the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest, where he studied at the Bachelor's degree in International Business and Trade. Master studies completed in 2009, within the same institution where he specialized in "International Business Management".

UBM Group is a group of Hungarian companies active in trade of soybeans, cereals, oilseeds, animal feed additives, feed, genetics swine trading more than 1 million tons of agricultural products per year. The Hungarian group also owns pig breeding farms, provides agricultural consultancy and farmer financing services, according to data published on the company's website.

Source: ZF Corporate.