WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG – news) today announced the appointment of Andrew J. Burke to the position of Managing Director of the company’s soy ingredients business and new business development.


Burke, who will be based at Bunge Limited’s corporate headquarters in White Plains, NY, will report to Chairman and CEO Alberto Weisser, and serve as a member of the Bunge Executive Committee.


Soy ingredients, which include isolated soy proteins, protein concentrates, and lecithins, are used in a variety of products, including meat, bakery and nutraceutical foods. The company estimates that the global market for isolated soy proteins will reach $1.7 billion in 2001, and will grow at a rate of 10% per year for the next five years. Bunge is one of three major manufacturers of isolated soy proteins in the world.


“The soy-based food ingredients market is growing very quickly. Bunge intends to capitalize on this growth and expand our market share,” stated Alberto Weisser, CEO of Bunge Limited. “Having Andrew Burke on our team will enable Bunge to grow this business on a global level and better coordinate our outstanding personnel and technological assets.”


Burke previously served as U.S. CEO of Degussa, the German chemical concern. He joined Degussa in 1983, where he held a variety of finance and marketing positions, and also served as COO of its U.S. Chemicals Group. Prior to joining Degussa he worked for Beecham Pharmaceuticals and Price Waterhouse & Company. He is a graduate of Villanova University, holds a CPA license and earned an MBA from Manhattan College.


Bunge manufactures soy ingredients in Brazil and Argentina and sells them to over twenty countries worldwide. The company’s isolated soy protein facility in Esteio (RG), Brazil is the only facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.


About Bunge Limited


Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com) is an integrated, global agribusiness and food company operating in the farm-to-consumer food chain with primary operations in North and South America and worldwide distribution capabilities. Headquartered in White Plains, New York, Bunge has over 17,000 employees and operations in 17 countries. The Company is the largest processor of soybeans in the Americas and the largest producer and supplier of fertilizers to farmers in Latin America.