At 18, Brazilian biodiesel producer BSBios rebrands, changes name to Be8

After 18 years of operating under the BSBios name, the Brazilian biodiesel producer is rebranding itself under the new name Be8.

“The new brand reflects the evolution of a company that is a national leader in biodiesel production and now becomes a global technology company focused on renewable energy,” the company stated. “Be8 brings a new meaning of the ‘B’ of BSBios, transforming it into the verb ‘to be,’ in English, which means ‘ser/estar.’ The visual identity adds action and movement that are the hallmarks of this new moment for the company. It also includes the number eight, which symbolizes infinity, originating from the circularity present in the company’s actions and strategies over the years.”

In 2022, Be8 served customers in 13 Brazilian states and exported to 12 countries, helping the company record consolidated revenues of 9.6 billion Brazilian reals (USD$1.9 billion), an increase of 9 percent compared to the previous year, and EBITDA totaling 354 million Brazilian reals (USD$70 million), a 12 percent increase over 2021. Of all the biodiesel produced in Brazil, the company maintained a market share of more than 14 percent.

“Last year was marked by significant advances,” said Erasmo Carlos Battistella, president of the company. “And we entered 2023 bringing more innovations, such as the evolution of our brand, launched just when we reached the age of majority—now we are Be8. A positive fact was the structural change in the biodiesel commercialization model [in Brazil], which came into force in 2022, with the replacement of public auctions by direct contracting between distributors and producers. In this new market dynamic, which grants more autonomy in the negotiation of commercial conditions, we are presenting a great performance.”

Be8 made what it says is Brazil’s first commercial-scale export of biodiesel to the United States earlier this year.

“The year 2022 also marked the company’s preparation process to obtain certifications that allow it to carry out these exports to the United States,” Battistella said. “The success of the operation is a recognition of the quality of the product produced in Brazil.”

In addition to Brazil, Be8 operates in Switzerland, where it bought a biodiesel plant that takes in used cooking oil as feedstock, and Paraguay, where it purchased the La Paloma complex for crushing soybeans and producing biodiesel.

Also in Paraguay, Be8’s Omega Green project continues, which will produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Just this month, the Chilean company Lipigas and Omega Green S.A. signed an agreement for the future sale of green LPG, a byproduct of renewable diesel and SAF production, from the Omega Green project once the plant is running in 2026.

“We know that the future of gas is renewable,” said Esteban Rodríguez, Lipigas’ biofuels and green hydrogen business manager. “In this understanding, at Lipigas we are innovating and evolving to make our core business increasingly efficient and sustainable. The plan is that, with the development of increasingly cleaner-energy alternatives, we will reach 2050 with an offer of 100 percent carbon-neutral products.”

Battistella added, “This agreement once again positions the Omega Green biorefinery as a major producer capable of meeting the growing demand for low-carbon fuels.”

The Omega Green plant is being scaled at 840,000 gallons per day. Construction is slated to begin this year and be complete in 2026.