Do we like them?

Do we like Cargill?

One of the world's biggest agribusiness and food traders (grain, meat, oils, feed). Based in Minnesota, USA.

Our score: 4 out of 10. Huge and useful, but it has repeatedly been tied to deforestation in its supply chains. We'd hold off backing it until it shows real change.

Cargill is a family-owned giant based in Minnesota. It trades and processes grain, oils, meat and animal feed. Sources say the founder's descendants own roughly 88–90% of it. Its revenue was about $154 billion in fiscal 2025, which makes it the biggest private company in the US.

Brian Sikes became CEO in January 2023. He joined Cargill in 1991 and became board chair in 2024. Bloomberg reported he restructured the business in 2024 after profits missed goals. Reports from around December 2024 say it cut about 5% of its global workforce, roughly 8,000 jobs.

The drama is mostly about forests. Reuters reported that Cargill and four other grain traders were fined a combined $29 million in Brazil over links to illegal deforestation. In 2012 an Indonesian subsidiary paid a $1 million fine for clearing land outside its licence. In 2023 ClientEarth filed a complaint over its Brazilian soy due diligence.

On the plus side, Cargill's 2023 ESG report said it had cut operational emissions by 10.97%, which met its 2025 goal. It also says it monitors its soy supply chain to end deforestation. Bloomberg reported record family payouts of about $1.5 billion in 2025. We score it 4 out of 10.