Colombian family-owned energy conglomerate Grupo Empresarial Petromil has entered the country’s top tier of gasoline distributors, challenging foreign multinationals that historically dominate the sector. Founded by Fernando Ardila Pardo in the early 1990s, the group accumulated $4,687,764 million in sales during 2025 across its primary subsidiaries, as reported by Las2orillas.
The Bottom Line
- Market Position: GEP ranks as the fifth-largest service station network in Colombia, operating over 850 retail points nationwide.
- Financial Scale: Cumulative sales across the group’s seven main enterprises reached $4,687,764 million in 2025, surpassing major export entities like Carbones del Cerrejón.
- Strategic Consolidation: The conglomerate controls more than 1,800,000 barrels of storage capacity and secured 100% of Puma Energy Colombia from Trafigura in recent months.
From a Single Santa Marta Pump to National Downstream Integration
Fernando Ardila Pardo established the foundation for Grupo Empresarial Petromil in the early 1990s by acquiring a service station near the port operations in Santa Marta using a loan from his father, Efraín Rachid Ardila Sliba. Initial sales volumes of 30,000 gallons per month scaled to 450,000 gallons, prompting expansion into Barranquilla. In 1997, Ardila Pardo founded Imcoser Ltda., transitioning it into Petróleos del Milenio S.A.—known today as Petromil—by the turn of the decade, as Las2orillas detailed.
Con la compra de productos nacionales ayudamos a la reactivación económica de nuestro país. Por eso cuando adquirimos productos colombianos le demostramos al Colombia cuánto la queremos. #CompraLoNuestro #CompraColombiano #ComproLocal #PetromilEmpresaColombiana @Col_Productiva pic.twitter.com/Q6siTQjcfJ
Unlike competitors reliant strictly on retail distribution, the company pursued vertical integration. In 2002, Petromil registered with the Ministerio de Minas y Energía to handle all petroleum products. This registration coincided with aggressive infrastructure investments, including the 2004 creation of the Terminal de Líquidos de Barranquilla (TELBA) in the Barranquilla Free Trade Zone, which provides 220,000 barrels of maritime and fluvial storage capacity along the Magdalena River.
Industrial Supply Networks and Virtual Gasoductos
The company leveraged its coastal footprint to secure heavy industrial clients. Beginning in 2007, Petromil utilized its storage facilities in Barranquilla and Cartagena to supply liquid fuels, including diesel and fuel oil, directly to thermal power plants across the Caribbean region. By 2011, the enterprise expanded into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), deploying high-pressure mobile storage units and virtual pipelines—transporting gas via tanker trucks rather than traditional fixed pipelines—with compressor stations located in La Creciente, Sucre; Cuatro Vientos, Cesar; and La Lucha, Córdoba.
This industrial expansion necessitated corporate restructuring. In 2016, Fernando Ardila Pardo organized the corporate family vehicle Avanade Capital Holding to oversee Grupo Empresarial Petromil (GEP) and its operating units. These subsidiaries include Comercial Avanade for retail operations, Transoil for logistics, TELBA for storage, and Petromil Gas.
Scale of the Seven Core Enterprises in 2025
| Subsidiary Entity | Primary Operational Focus | 2025 Sales Volume (COP) |
|---|---|---|
| Petromil | Fuel Distribution & Retail | $ 3,509,200 million |
| Comercial Avanade | EDS Administration & Retail | $ 533,723 million |
| Petromil Gas | Gas & Energy Solutions | $ 394,338 million |
| Transoil de Colombia | Logistics & Transport | $ 94,392 million |
| Avanade Capital Holdings | Corporate Holding Vehicle | $ 68,428 million |
| Petroleos y Biocombustibles | Wholesale Fuel Trade | $ 65,124 million |
| TELBA | Liquid Storage | $ 22,561 million |
Among the 10,000 largest companies in Colombia by sales, these seven entities occupy significant market standing. Petromil alone recorded $3,509,200 million in sales, placing it 43rd nationally, Las2orillas reported. Total combined revenue for the group reached $4,687,764 million in 2025, outperforming several established regional mining operations.
Asset Acquisition and Infrastructure Footprint
GEP operates nine liquid fuel storage plants nationwide, including major facilities in La Candelaria in Cartagena (600,000 barrels, connected to Reficar) and Río Sogamoso in Betulia (600,000 barrels, connected to the Barrancabermeja Refinery). Additional storage locations operate in Yumbo, Agualinda, Mancilla, Cartago, Baranoa, Jaidis, and Oriana.
Corporate expansion accelerated following the August acquisition of Puma Energy Colombia from Swiss multinational Trafigura. That transaction added annual sales exceeding $640,000 million and expanded GEP’s domestic footprint to more than 850 retail service stations. Fernando Ardila Pardo chairs the Board of Directors alongside his father, Efraín Rachid Ardila Sliba, maintaining family governance over an operational apparatus that historically featured foreign operators such as Texaco, Esso, and Shell.
