Calidra traces its roots back the beginning of the 20th Century and is majority-owned (52%) by the Riefkohl Family of Mexico. The company’s other shareholders are Graymont Ltd. of Canada (40%) and IFC (8%). IFC’s shareholding dates to 1998, when IFC made an equity investment in the Company as part of the financing of the first project it undertook with Calidra.

The two and one-half year investment program is estimated to cost up to $45 million. The proposed IFC investment would consist of a loan of about $20 million equivalent for IFC's own account. Up to an additional $10 million equivalent may also be raised in parallel from another bank. The balance of funds will come from internal cash generation and a share capital increase, which was recently completed.

23.0 million (USD)

Product Line	IFC Investment (million USD)
Risk Management	3.0
Guarantee
Loan	20.0
Equity

* These investment figures are indicative

The key components of the project will be undertaken on or adjacent to sites Calidra currently operates in Acajete (near Puebla) and near Colima. The two kilns for Acajete will be installed directly next two existing kilns operated by Calidra. The kiln to be installed near Colima will be on a quarry which is off of an isolated section of an existing highway.

This is a Category “B” project according to IFC’s environmental review procedure because a limited number of specific impacts may result which can be avoided or mitigated by adhering to generally recognized environmental performance standards, guidelines, or design criteria. Environmental issues associated with the project include: land acquisition, air emissions, water supply, quarry reclamation, local employment and socioeconomic impacts, fuel storage and handling, employee exposure to noise and dust and environmental and health and safety management systems.
Location of environmental documents in locally affected community
These documents are available at the Head Office of Grupo Calidra in México D.F. (see below) and information is posted at the following locations: Tablero de Anuncios de la Presidencia Municipal de Acajete, Puebla Tablero de anuncios de la Presidencia Municipal de Coquimatlán, Colima Tablero de anuncios de la "Iglesia Principal" de la población de Los Jassos, Delegación de Villa de Pozos, S.L.P. Tablero de anuncios de la Presidencia Municipal de Apaxco, Edo. de México Tablero de Anuncios de la Presidencia Municipal de Yautepec, Morelos Tablero de Anuncios de la Presidencia Municipal de Torreón, Coahuila

Development Impact: Calidra is producing a basic industrial input that is important for the construction, steel-making, agricultural and other sectors of the economy, and the project is oriented toward fostering the development of key consuming industries, including glass making, water purification and treatment. The project is aimed at improving Calidra’s operational efficiency, better meeting localized demand, promoting new applications for lime-related products and reducing the Company’s environmental footprint. In particular, the project component to install efficient and environmentally friendly capacity in regions which are experiencing higher demand than supply is expected to at least partly substitute production from inefficient plants associated with high emissions and relatively low-quality product. IFC ‘s Role in the project involves: - support for a second-tier company, - IFC’s value-added with respect to governance, increasing management professionalism and reporting in the company’s development from a family-owned company, - provision of appropriate tenor and currency debt for a long-term investment program, and - substantive, planning (in addition to financial) support of the company’s on-going efforts to reduce its environmental footprint.