The natural ingredients specialists said the buy-out of Arômes de Chacé (ADC) – formed as a joint venture between Diana and Chaucer Foods – will help it continue a strong growth and development strategy on its different markets.
Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO of Diana’s food division said bringing ADC into the company’s portfolio will allow it to reinforce its expertise in natural solutions.
“Thanks to the high quality of ADC products and its close association with its customers, we will be able to extend our range of authentic mushroom-based culinary solutions to meet our customers’ expectations even better,” he said.
Arômes de Chacé – founded in 2005 – produces high quality mushroom extracts in the form of concentrates and powders for applications in the agro-food industry – including soups, sauces, and ready meals. The firm has capacity to produce 45 000 tons of cooking juice and 8 000 tons of foot fungus per year, confirmed Diana Group.
Parisot said the acquisition is an ‘excellent opportunity’ to strengthen its expertise in the area of flavouring foodstuffs.
The mushroom extract supplier has a strong foothold in Europe, where it achieved 68% of its total 4.7 million euros in sales last year. The business also has a presence in Asia and the USA, which account for 17% and 15% of ADC’s sales respectively.
Acquisition strategy
A spokesperson for the Diana Group told FoodNavigator that the acquisition of ADC is part of the company’s strategy to strengthen its presence in ‘traditional’ market areas. The spokesperson explained that the group see’s acquisitions as a “big part of the groups 2012 strategy” – adding that it is planning to complete “three or four” buy outs by the end of the year - including two already completed.