Ordinary General Meeting of SFBT Reveals Major Surprises
On May 19, 2026, the ordinary general meeting of SFBT unveiled several major surprises. The first concerns a retroactive customs control spanning twenty years of exports, resulting in a settlement of 11.5 million dinars. The second is an environmental, social, and ethical policy, encompassing renewable energies, the mass titling of nearly 1,500 employees, and actions in sponsorship, training, sports, and cultural support, as well as mechanisms for employee interest and financing.
Rigorous Contextualization of Customs Control
The customs control, which could have been interpreted as a negative signal, was rigorously contextualized by General Director Elyes Fakhfakh. When reported to the total of exports over twenty years, the amount represents only 1.35%. Excluding cases under judicial procedure against defaulting suppliers, this ratio drops to 0.75%. After deducting unpaid invoices, it falls to 0.47%. In other words, 99.53% of SFBT's exports over two decades have been properly settled. An installment payment agreement was concluded with customs, and the group has provisioned the corresponding amounts.
Concrete Environmental Strategy
In parallel, SFBT is deploying a concrete environmental strategy, far removed from declarations of intention. The photovoltaic power plant in Médenine now covers 31% of the site's energy needs. A biological water treatment station has been installed at SGBIA. The group is valorizing barley rootlets, by-products of beer production, for animal feed, thus closing a circular value chain.
Multiple and Structuring Social Actions
On the social front, actions are numerous and structuring. In accordance with the 2025 decree on the prohibition of labor outsourcing, SFBT has proceeded to the titling of 1,444 employees, including 852 employees under fixed-term contracts and 269 security and cleaning agents previously employed by external providers, at a total cost of nearly 5 million dinars. The group's workforce has thus increased from 5,702 to 5,914 employees, including 1,507 managers and supervisors, with a distribution of 43% women and 57% men among managers, for an average age of 43 years.
Training and Digitalization
In terms of training, 4,260 employees were trained in 2025, representing a 96.3% access rate, up 24% from 2024. The pedagogical model balances internal resources, certified training, and external expertise. For 2026, the group aims to deploy structured career paths by trade and accelerate the digitalization of pedagogical tools.
Ethical and Compliance
On the ethics and compliance front, more than 1,362 employees have been trained on compliance topics, including the code of conduct, the triangle of fraud, competition law, anti-corruption, and money laundering. The group has collected 906 declarations of potential conflicts of interest and boasts a global compliance rate above 82%. A digital reporting and compliance evaluation platform has been deployed, and the group has organized the International Day Against Corruption.
Employee Interest and Financing
The employee interest mechanism is based on two mechanisms. A balance sheet premium was distributed for the 2025 exercise, although it decreased by 54% compared to the 2024 premium for the 2023 exercise. Moreover, a productivity premium allows employees to benefit from 50% of the savings made in water, electricity, bottle crushing, and overall performance. The 50% remaining to the company is used to finance zero-interest loans for employee construction projects.
Citizen Engagement and Sponsorship
In terms of citizen engagement and sponsorship, SFBT is undertaking several notable initiatives. The group has rehabilitated the Mahmoud Messadi school in Kasserine, benefiting 700 students. It has supported another regional festival, relaunched after five years of interruption, in a logic of local economic dynamization. It is accompanying 17 national festivals and supporting 38 sports teams spread across 17 governorates. Partnerships have been established to promote the professional integration of young people.
A Group that Builds Performance through Transparency and Exigency
These different aspects – rigor in the face of customs controls, environmental transition, massive training, titling, ethics, interest, sports and cultural sponsorship, and education support – paint the portrait of a group that builds its performance through transparency and internal exigency, rather than communication. SFBT demonstrates that financial robustness can be accompanied by a discreet but deeply structuring environmental and social responsibility.
