Japan’s Zen-Noh Establishes Grain-Trading Operations in Geneva

(Bloomberg) — Japanese farming cooperative Zen-Noh has established a Swiss corporation to begin operations in the European trading hub.

It will operate under the name Zen-Noh Global Holdings SA, with offices in Vernier on the outskirts of Geneva, according to the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce. Bloomberg reported late last year that Zeh-Noh Grain Corp., the US trading arm of the Japanese company, was working to establish a trading desk with at least 15 employees in Switzerland.

A spokesperson in Tokyo for Zen-Noh, the parent company, declined to comment. 

It’s Zen-Noh’s latest move to expand beyond its traditional business of supplying everything from corn to soybeans to Japan. Geneva is a hub for global grain traders, with Cargill Inc., Louis Dreyfus Co. and Bunge Global SA also having offices in the Swiss canton.

Zen-Noh acquired a 50% stake in a grain terminal in Santos in a joint venture with Bunge in 2024, and also owns GrainsConnect Canada in a joint venture with Australian Grain exporter GrainCorp.

–With assistance from Yui Hasebe.

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