Company: Cevital
Country: Algeria
Sector: Agroindustry
CEO: Issad Rebrab
Website: https://www.cevital.com
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Kouba, Algiers, Algeria
Founded: 1998
Valuation/Revenue: $1,508m revenue (African Business Top 250, 2025); historically reported earnings of roughly $3.6bn in 2009
Cevital is Algeria’s largest private industrial conglomerate, active in agri-food processing (sugar and cooking-oil refining, beverages, dairy), retail, glass and steel manufacturing, home appliances, automotive distribution and real estate. Founded by businessman Issad Rebrab in 1998, it operates one of the world’s largest sugar refineries and is a dominant force in Algeria’s private sector economy.
What Does Cevital Do?
Cevital’s core business is agri-food: it refines imported raw sugar and vegetable oil at its Bejaia port complex, with sugar-refining capacity reported at around two million tonnes a year, among the largest single-site refineries anywhere. Beyond food, the group manufactures float glass, home appliances and construction materials, distributes Hyundai vehicles in Algeria, runs a retail chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets under the Uno/Unocity brands, and has interests in logistics, shipping and real estate. At its peak in the 2010s, Cevital expanded internationally, acquiring French industrial and retail assets (including stakes in Oxxo and other companies) and taking positions in Spain, positioning itself as a genuinely pan-Mediterranean private group rather than a purely domestic one.
Is Cevital Legit?
Cevital is a real, large-scale operating conglomerate with decades of production history and thousands of employees — it is not a shell company or investment scheme. However, prospective partners and job seekers should be aware that its founder and public face, Issad Rebrab, has been the subject of serious legal action in Algeria. In April 2019, amid a broader anti-corruption crackdown following the fall of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Rebrab was arrested and later convicted on charges related to tax, banking and customs violations, receiving a six-month sentence and a fine equivalent to roughly $11.6 million. In May 2023, an Algerian court went further and barred him from “exercising in commerce,” effectively prohibiting him from formal business activity — a highly unusual restriction for the head of the country’s largest private employer.
Who Is the CEO of Cevital?
Issad Rebrab founded and has led Cevital since 1998 and is still publicly identified as its chairman and guiding figure. Given the 2023 court ruling restricting his commercial activity, day-to-day operational leadership is understood to sit increasingly with senior Cevital executives and family members, including his sons, who hold management roles across the group’s subsidiaries, though the company has not published a clear, verifiable org chart naming a separate acting group CEO. This is a genuine area of uncertainty for outside researchers because Cevital, as a private Algerian company, discloses far less governance detail than a listed peer would.
Who Owns Cevital?
Cevital is privately held by the Rebrab family, with Issad Rebrab as founder and controlling shareholder. It is not listed on any stock exchange, and there is no public shareholder register. The family’s broader business interests have also included media (Rebrab acquired the El Khabar newspaper group in 2016 for a reported $45 million and controlled the French-Algerian title Liberté, which he shut down in April 2022 amid the mounting legal pressure).
How Big Is Cevital?
African Business magazine’s Top 250 companies in Africa for 2025 lists Cevital’s revenue at roughly $1.51 billion, though this figure should be read cautiously: Cevital does not publish detailed audited accounts for public review in the way listed companies do, and older third-party estimates (including a figure of around $3.6 billion in group earnings for 2009) suggest the business has, at various points, been valued or sized very differently depending on methodology and which subsidiaries are consolidated. What is clear is that Cevital remains one of the largest private employers in Algeria and a dominant force in the country’s sugar, oil and glass markets.
Is Cevital Still Operating in 2026?
Yes — the underlying industrial and retail operations continue to function, and Cevital remains a major supplier to the Algerian market for sugar, oil and other staples. What has changed is the legal status of its founder rather than the operating existence of the company itself; researchers and counterparties should treat any recent claims about Rebrab’s authority to sign contracts or represent the company with caution given the 2023 commercial ban, and should verify current management structure directly with the company or Algerian commercial registries where accuracy is critical.
Links
Website: https://www.cevital.com
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is Cevital a real company?
Yes, it is Algeria’s largest private industrial and agri-food conglomerate, founded in 1998, with real production facilities including one of the world’s largest sugar refineries.
Who owns Cevital?
Cevital is privately owned by the Rebrab family, led by founder Issad Rebrab.
Why was Issad Rebrab in the news?
He was convicted in 2019 on tax, banking and customs charges and, in May 2023, was barred by an Algerian court from engaging in commercial activity.
Where is Cevital headquartered?
Cevital’s operations are centred in Kouba/Algiers, Algeria, with its major refining complex at the port of Bejaia.
Is Cevital publicly traded?
No. Cevital is a privately held family company and is not listed on any stock exchange.
How big is Cevital?
African Business magazine’s 2025 Top 250 ranking put Cevital’s revenue at approximately $1.5 billion.