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Soybean oil is a kitchen mainstay in Brazil, but negatively affects the flavor of food when it smokes. Cargill food scientists are convinced that a better blend can be developed.

In 1975, Cargill’s grain and oilseeds business debuts Liza® soybean oil, a non-smoking blend that becomes one of the most popular in Brazil.

The success of Liza oil leads to the expansion of the brand’s portfolio, including corn, sunflower and canola oils, as well as a Liza Nutriplus® vitamin-enriched soybean oil.

Innovation Leads to a Better Cooking Oil for Brazil

The development of Liza® soybean oil creates a better in-home cooking experience for consumers.

January 01, 2015

From empanadas to moqueca, the majority of dishes in Brazil rely on soybean oil as a staple ingredient. A common characteristic of soybean oil brands on grocery shelves in Brazil is a low smoking point, which means they can give off unwanted fumes that affect the flavor of food. Cargill was not directly involved in the Latin American consumer market before the 1970s, but the company made its entrance in 1971, focusing on opportunities within the consumer soybean oil market. In an early breakthrough, Cargill created a new soybean oil in Brazil that featured a higher smoking point and, as a result, less fumes and a purer taste.

The first cans of Liza® soybean oil hit shelves in 1975. Cargill opened a second oil processing plant in the Brazilian city of Mairinque the following year—doubling the company’s production capacity. The site would serve as the new home of Liza soybean oil.

“This is an example of Cargill adding value. Specialty oils command twice the price at half the volume of regular soybean oil.”
— Herbert Schmell, Storeowner

By 1980, Liza soybean oil had become a market leader. When the largest newspaper in Brazil ran a story on the best consumer products, Liza products swept the cooking oil category. To help consumers understand that Cargill was the producer behind the soybean oil brand, Liza added the Cargill logo on its packaging in 1993.

More than a decade later, Walmart helped Cargill further refine the Liza product packaging, challenging the company to increase its sustainability efforts. Released in 2010, the oil’s new, energy-efficient clear bottles used 10% less plastic than the previous bottles.

Though Liza soybean oil is considered a premium product, costing 10% to 40% more than competing brands, it continues to reign as Brazil’s top cooking oil. Today, four Cargill plants in Brazil manufacture Liza products, and the brand family has grown to include corn, canola, sunflower and vitamin-enriched soy oils. Named “the most trustworthy oil brand in Brazil” by Reader’s Digest Brasil for four years in a row, the innovative brand continues to provide best-in-class products to consumers across Brazil.