“When we started originating grain in Romania and other countries [Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia], we would knock on a farmer’s door, and they already had eight or more bids on the table. They would ask, ‘Why should I work with you?’” recalls Stefan Florescu, senior director of commodity trading with CHS Europe.
“The answer we gave them is, ‘We are like you. We are a cooperative owned by farmers,’” he says. “They understand CHS is a company they can trust and is committed to the region.”
How being a cooperative builds trust
CHS wasn’t always considered a trusted business partner of farmers in the Danube River corridor like it is today, says Florescu.
“Ten years ago, when I first started to work for the company, a farmer didn’t want to let his truck leave the premises before getting paid because he didn’t know CHS,” Florescu says. “That doesn’t happen anymore.”
Florescu says the memory stands out an example of how apprehensive some growers in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia were to sell grain to CHS, which acquired the Silotrans export terminal in Constanta, Romania, in 2011. Not getting paid or fairly compensated was a real concern at the time, he says.
Florescu cites the “cooperative advantage” and the company’s commitment to the region as key to becoming a destination of choice for many growers.
The cooperative’s grain business has grown as a result. CHS completed an expansion of Silotrans in July 2025 to source and export more grain from the region. Upgrades include new storage facilities and grain handling and cleaning equipment. The company aims to increase annual export volumes by 30%.
Silotrans handles corn, wheat, barley and canola. Grain is primarily exported to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
“It [CHS] offers competitive prices and we never have an issue with money [getting paid],” Florescu says. “I hope our partnership will get even stronger.”
Albu Gheorghe, manager of Argonaut Viisoara Agricultural Cooperative, agrees. He says selling grain to another cooperative “brings added security to us.”
Matei Titianu, who farms near Baila, Romania, prefers doing business with CHS. He and his family grow corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and sunflowers.
“The fact that it’s owned by farmers gives me a sense of belonging,” Titianu says. “It’s better to work with a company that understands the difficulty of being in agriculture … what it takes to grow a crop.”
