FS Ships Brazil’s First High-Protein Animal Feed Made From Corn Ethanol to China

<p>Deal marks Brazil’s entry into China’s market for value-added animal nutrition ingredients.</p>

By Brazil Stock Guide – FS shipped Brazil’s first cargo of high-protein animal feed produced from corn ethanol to China, opening a new export channel for value-added agricultural products and reinforcing the country’s ambition to move beyond bulk commodity exports. The shipment totals 3,000 metric tons and is scheduled to depart from the Port of Santos in the coming days under a contract signed in January.

The product, marketed as FS Essencial, is a high-protein feed ingredient derived from the company’s corn biorefinery operations. Known in the industry as high-protein dried distillers grains, it represents Brazil’s first commercial sale of this type of ethanol byproduct to the Chinese market, setting the stage for recurring deliveries to industrial feed manufacturers.

FS already exports animal nutrition products to multiple countries, but the China transaction represents a structural shift for Brazil’s corn value chain. By exporting higher protein, energy-dense feed ingredients, the company expands the country’s portfolio of technology-driven agricultural exports while leveraging scale and logistics efficiency from its ethanol platform.

“This first shipment marks the entry of Brazilian high-protein feed into the Chinese market and highlights Brazil’s potential as a supplier of higher value-added animal nutrition ingredients,” Victor Trenti, FS’s commercial director, said. “China is a strategic market that requires quality, scale and reliability.”

China is one of the world’s largest animal nutrition markets, with sustained demand from pork, poultry and aquaculture producers. High-protein feed inputs have gained relevance for their role in improving formulation efficiency, reducing logistics costs and increasing nutritional consistency in large-scale operations.

The deal also underscores the growing competitiveness of Brazil’s corn biorefinery industry, positioning the country not only as a supplier of grains and ethanol but as an exporter of industrial feed solutions tailored to global demand.

International expansion and capacity growth

The China shipment is part of FS’s broader strategy to scale international sales of high-protein animal nutrition products. In the 2024/25 crop year, the company exported about 30,000 metric tons of feed products to markets across Asia, Latin America and Europe. Volumes are expected to exceed 50,000 tons in 2025/26, with significant shipments to countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. For the 2026/27 crop year, the company expects to double export volumes, with China contributing to that growth.

“As we expand production capacity, we aim to deliver technically consistent products with high logistical efficiency to global markets,” said Brian Patrick Mike, FS’s commercial manager.

FS currently operates three industrial plants in Mato Grosso, located in Lucas do Rio Verde, Sorriso and Primavera do Leste, and plans to start operations at a fourth plant in Campo Novo do Parecis later this year, increasing supply capacity for international markets.

Read more: BNDES Backs Brazil’s First Carbon-Negative Ethanol Project With R$384m for CO₂ Storage


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