Centravo Group

A quarter of a century ago, the reprocessing and recycling companies in Basel, Zurich and Bern came together to establish Centravo. These companies transferred to this new central organisation not only their business activities but also their cooperative philosophy. The most important value of this philosophy was and remains the idea of community.

This fundamental attitude of "working together" was the primary factor behind the success of Centravo in the past, and even today we are guided by the notion that we can only succeed if we stand together (just as our predecessor companies did in the past) and internalise the principle that in our small and diverse country only the consolidation of our various abilities can give us the strength we need. Only by "working together" will we be able to overcome the adversity associated with an ever-more competitive market and greater competition from abroad. It may sometimes seem attractive to go it alone, but such an approach is usually only successful for a short time. Only a cooperative approach makes sense over the long term!

It was exactly for this reason that Centravo was established 25 years ago. The cooperative represents an exemplary joint effort that we need to safeguard and nurture. Centravo provides services for the meat industry that include recycling waste materials and by-products. We also ensure transparency and safety in the upstream agricultural sector through stable reference prices, and we perform a public service with our disposal activities and measures for preventing and controlling epidemics.

At the heart of this broad range of services, which would be too much for one company to handle, is the joint management of the raw material base. It is the pooling of capacities here that enables the exploitation of the logistics synergies and economies of scale that are needed to keep the entire sector profitable. A “cherry picking” mentality with separate marketing of individual products cannot and must not be allowed to endanger the entire system!

Centravo operates successfully even under difficult conditions. However, the degree of this success is directly dependent on the extent to which capacities can be pooled. This is why I believe that the rewards that come with such success are also linked to the degree to which such pooling can be achieved.

Our Vision

The Centravo Holding is the leading provider of comprehensive services for the Swiss meat and food industry, offering a competitive range of products and services in the global food/pharma, feed and energy sectors.

Our company stands for value maximisation, safety and sustainability along the entire value chain.

We act as a catalyst that promotes cooperation in the Swiss meat and food industry in all areas in which separate activities would generate insufficient added value, or no added value at all. As a service provider and manufacturer, we exploit new value-creation and business potential with and for other industries in Switzerland and abroad in order to generate additional added value in the interest of proprietors and suppliers.

Centravo's Market Profile:

A self-help organisation that's unique around the globe and an important institution for all meat producers in Switzerland

A generator of multifaceted and in some cases irreplaceable value, made possible by the innovative refinement and targeted marketing of animal by-products for use in a variety of products – in particular high-quality leather products, pet foods, additives for animal feed, and pharmaceutical and cosmetic products

A tried-and-tested partner that guarantees market-leading food safety and sustainability in the Swiss meat industry in times of crisis as well

A specialist for high-quality oils, fats and margarines – the use of plant oils supplements the refinement and marketing of animal fats

A company that stands for the highest levels of quality, reliability and cooperation with products and services from Switzerland – with added value generated by reasonable but slightly higher prices

Our Mission

Our mission is at once our goal and the approach we use to achieve it. It points the way for us into a successful future.