Campus was founded in 2005 by Giampaolo Cagnin in Parma, at the heart of Italy’s so-called 'Food Valley'. With an initial focus on meat, Campus has developed “deep expertise and applications knowledge” in using natural products, such as fibres, to create customised functional solutions for a broad range of protein applications. The group now specialises in clean label, meat, dairy, sauces and plant-based food.
“I am delighted to be welcoming Campus into the Firmenich family, as we share common values, a commitment to world-class research and to leading innovation in natural solutions,” said Patrick Firmenich, Firmenich chairman.
A platform for global growth
Campus operates research and production facilities in Italy and is expanding its footprint globally with a state-of-the-art production plant in Monterrey, Mexico, due to start production later this year.
Campus CEO Federico Fulgoni said that the acquisition will unlock accelerated growth opportunities for Campus within the larger Firmenich organisation.
“With Firmenich’s excellence in research and global market reach, I am excited about the many opportunities ahead for Campus,” he remarked.
“By combining our capabilities we will accelerate our longstanding goal of offering the most comprehensive range of clean label solutions for protein applications, cutting across animal and plant-based products.”
Gilbert Ghostine, CEO of Firmenich, also stressed the strategic importance of expanding Campus’s global presence.
“Campus is a company that has been built on innovation and has made its mark in protein solutions. We look forward to working together to expand its reach globally and leverage its capabilities into new categories such as dairy and plant-based solutions to make our customers win today and tomorrow,” Ghostine commented.
Becoming a 'solutions provider'
Eduardo Pares, VP global savoury, told FoodNavigator that in addition to cross selling opportunities the addition of Campus's product capabilities will round-out Firmenich's protein portfolio.
"Campus provides a new route to market for Firmenich. The combination of Firmenich flavor expertise aligned with Campus’s functional expertise, especially with their clean label capabilities, moves Firmenich to being a solutions provider for customers to address all their product needs in meat proteins... It’s our intention to leverage the functional capabilities that Campus bring globally to customers who need to address challenges in clean label in meat and green/alternative proteins."
While the immediate benefit will be to Firmenich's protein capabilities, Pares added that there are also longer-term possibilities for clean label innovation. "The immediate synergies will be the ability offer customers’ integrated solutions combining flavor and functional expertise to protein applications in savory. However there are other potential synergies from Campus, such as using their expertise in fibers to address some of the clean label challenges in the flavor industry."
Campus will retain its brand identity and will operate as a functional solutions-focused segment within Firmenich’s flavours division.
Firmenich is acquiring Campus from White Bridge Investments and Giampaolo Cagnin. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of this week.