Our supplier used its sugar mill to make and donate sanitizer
June 24, 2020
Ronaldo B. | Sugar & Ethanol Business Managing Director, Cevasa | São Paulo, Brazil
Cevasa converted part of its sugar mill facility to make extra liquid and gel alcohol for hospitals. Above, harvesting sugar cane for the mill.
At times like this, we are even more committed to helping the world thrive, starting with our own community.
We knew it would be difficult to find liquid and gel alcohol for cleaning, so we decided to make it.
As the global pandemic spread in March and alcohol sanitizer supplies diminished around Brazil, I challenged our team at Cevasa to be ready to produce 70% alcohol gel to help protect employees at our plant in São Paulo. Cevasa, a unit of McDonald's supplier Cargill, produces sugar as well as ethanol - a type of alcohol - so we were able to quickly jump into action using supply on hand and create enough sanitizer to keep our employees safe on the production floor.
Within days of launching the operation, we realized the need extended beyond our facility and we increased production with the goal of donating sanitizer to health organizations and hospitals in the region.
We are grateful our resources can help our community. So far we've produced more than 13,500 liters of 70% alcohol and 1,200 liters of alcohol gel. We're continuing to donate sanitizer to public and private hospitals, government agencies and homes for the elderly and children.
We will continue to do our part to care for the community because that's something we've always had in common with McDonald's - now and always, people come first.