Agricultural holding Kernel is expanding its presence in the European consumer market: in the Netherlands, just a year and a half after launching its own sunflower oil brand, Bestolie&Kernel, sales have already reached 5.5 million liters, the company’s press service reported on Monday.
“The European market is very competitive and ‘closed’ to new brands. It is dominated by large international FMCG companies and supermarket chains’ private labels. Getting on the shelf is difficult, and staying there is even harder,” the release quotes Serhiy Neroshchyn, director of the marketing and sales department for packaged products at Kernel, as saying.
The company noted that it previously produced oil for the Dutch food distributor Fangoo&Zon Impex under a private label, whereas the launch of its own Bestolie&Kernel brand in 2024 allowed the company to build a complete value chain—from the Ukrainian field to the European consumer.
“Kernel” is responsible for production and quality control at all stages—from seed to finished oil—as confirmed by ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 certifications, while Fangoo&Zon Impex handles distribution in the local market.
Since its launch, the company has also expanded its product range, adding new packaging formats and frying oil for the HoReCa segment.
“Kernel” estimates its share of global sunflower oil exports at 10%. Kernel sells refined sunflower oil in Ukraine under its own brands, “Stozhar” and “Shchedry Dar,” and exports it under its own Kernel brands to 12 European countries, as well as to Jordan, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Guinea, under the Le Blanc and Premi brands in Egypt, the Middle East, and South Asia, as well as under its partners’ private labels.
Fangoo&Zon Impex is a Dutch company specializing in the import and distribution of food products and FMCG goods in the Benelux countries.
Kernel Agricultural Holding is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, Ukraine’s largest grain exporter, an operator of an extensive network of logistics assets, and a leading producer of grain and oilseeds in Ukraine. It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. It is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
According to results for the first nine months of fiscal year 2026 (July 2025 – March 2026), Kernel saw its net profit decline by 5% to $208 million, while its revenue increased by 0.4% to $3.092 billion, and EBITDA by 1% to $403 million.
