Hoffman Promoted to VP of Sugar Cooperative

BELLE GLADE, Fla., Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew B. Hoffman was promoted to VP- Marketing & Business Development of Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida at the September Board meeting last week.  He joined the Cooperative in November of 2010 as the Manager of Marketing & Special Projects.

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Hoffman is responsible for analyzing the markets for and advising on sales of raw sugar and molasses produced by the Cooperative. He also works closely with the refining arm of the business, ASR Group, on understanding the key drivers of the world and domestic markets and their influence on pricing and production. Additionally, Hoffman has been tasked with identifying future opportunities to enhance the value of the Cooperative to its grower-members.

"Matt is an integral part of the management team at the Cooperative," said Antonio L. Contreras, Jr. President and CEO of the Cooperative and Co-President of ASR Group. "He has an excellent grasp of the global sugar industry and drivers that shape the world and domestic markets for raw sugar and molasses."

Hoffman said, "Working for the Cooperative has been extremely exciting, challenging and rewarding. During times of market volatility and economic uncertainty, I have been fortunate to learn from great mentors with years of wisdom who are very forward thinking.  I am excited to work for a company with a global presence that continues to focus on building value for our family farmers."  Hoffman added, "I feel blessed to work for such innovative growers who understand the dynamics of farming and are interested in growing the business to be sustainable for future generations."

A native of Palm Beach County, Hoffman graduated from the University of Florida's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a degree in Food and Resource Economics in 2007.  Previous to joining the Cooperative, Hoffman worked for Dow AgroSciences- a Dow Chemical Company, where he worked in various marketing and sales management roles. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance (LORE), the Belle Glade Rotary Club and is a 2011 graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.

Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative is comprised of 45 grower-members who produce 3.2 million tons of sugarcane yielding 350,000 tons of raw sugar grown on 70,000 acres of land primarily in Palm Beach County. As partners with Florida Crystals Corporation, they own and operate the world's largest cane sugar refining company ASR Group that operate nine sugar refineries in five countries with the capacity to produce six million tons of refined sugar annually. The company produces a full line of consumer, industrial and food service products under the prestigious brand names of Domino®, C&H®, Redpath®,  Tate & Lyle®, Lyle's Golden Syrup®, Sidul® and Sores®.

SOURCE Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida