About Us
Global Expertise, Locally Deployed.
Founded by Ralph Dehrmann, the Dehrmann BioEnergy Group is made up of two entities:
- Dehrmann BioEnergy, LLC – California, USA (Est. 2013)
- Dehrmann BioEnergy Consultants (Pty) Ltd – KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Est. 2022)
Backed by a team of highly skilled sugar and ethanol professionals, we provide hands-on support across both agricultural and factory operations. Our mission is to deliver ethical, transparent, and results-oriented project solutions that serve the long-term interests of our clients.
Our Footprint: South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, USA and beyond.
Our Senior Team
DBE’s senior project development team is comprised of the following individuals:
Ralph Dehrmann – Chief Executive Officer
Ralph is a seasoned maintenance and operations management executive specialising in sugar, ethanol, co-generation businesses, with considerable domestic and international experience in various roles within the International Sugarcane Industry.
Ralph is also a seasoned project and project management executive who has significant experience in many sugarcane projects, primarily across the African continent.
He has over 35 years of directly relevant experience and holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechanical Engineering from the Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Brian Keats – Associate Consultant: Finance
Brian is an accomplished Chartered Accountant, IT programme manager and business strategy consultant and has worked with many blue-chip companies in a variety of roles.
Brian has spent 20 of the past 25 years working in London and Europe for blue-chip companies including Deloitte, Citi, Salomon Smith Barney, Colt, ITEXACT and CarPhone Warehouse. Roles have included line management and project and programme management roles within the finance and IT arenas.
Raymond Ducray – Associate Consultant: Agriculture
Raymond has worked in the sugar cane Industry for the past 43 years., in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, China, Iran, Tanzania, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Malawi and Mauritius, managing large Irrigated sugarcane estates. He has also worked in the beef, forestry and citrus industries, as either Agricultural Manager or Agricultural Director.
He has vast experience in agronomy, drainage, soils, irrigation and Irrigation design, as well as budgeting and general management.
In addition, Raymond has performed due diligence studies for the Barbados, Indonesian and India sugarcane industries.
Mark Potter – Associate Consultant: Project Management
Mark is an accomplished project and engineering management leader with over 25 years of diverse experience delivering complex projects and engineering solutions across Liquid Mud Plants (LMP), Sugar Industry, Mining, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Pressure Vessels, Storage Tanks, Heat Exchangers, Specialised Trailers, Structural Engineering, Paper & Pulp, and General Engineering industries within Southern Africa and across Africa.
He has consistently demonstrated operational leadership excellence and a strong ability to deliver turnkey projects with predictable outcomes in terms of safety, quality, schedule, and budget control.
Strategic Partners
Our strategic business partners include:
• Uni-Systems, Incorporated (USA) (www.uni-systems.net)
• Bosch Projects (Pty) Limited (South Africa) (www.boschprojects.co.za)
• Booker-Tate Limited (United Kingdom) (www.booker-tate.co.uk)
Dehrmann BioEnergy Consultants provides overall project management activities.