Campina, one of Europe's largest dairy companies, and Avebe, a Dutch starch producer, have signed a 'letter of intent' regarding the sale of Avebe's activities in pharmaceutical excipients. These activities are part of Glucona, a wholly owned subsidiary of Avebe.
According to a statement released by Campina on Wednesday the acquisition fits in well with the activities of its food ingredients subsidiary DMV International, currently a major player in the market for pharmaceutical lactose.
The two companies report that the sale of Avebe's pharmaceutical excipients will enable the Dutch starch producer to focus further on its core activities - the sale, development and production of starch products for food, paper and industrial specialities. For Campina, by contrast, pharmaceutical products play a considerable role in its business activities.
DMV International is part of the 'Industrial Products' group of Campina, that also includes Creamy Creation and Nutrifeed, and has production plants in the Netherlands, Germany and the United States.