A global leader in specialty, plant-based ingredients, Naturex is expanding its US and South American holdings. 

Naturex, Avignon, France, says it has acquired selected industrial technologies and operations of Haliburton International Foods, Ontario, Calif., for an undisclosed amount. Officials say the deal enables Naturex to integrate a new roasting technology and add more natural vegetable-based solutions, such as purees, sauces and roasted veggies.

Secondly, Naturex says it entered exclusive negotiations to acquire an undisclosed fruit-based specialty business and a production facility in the United States. 

“This will enable Naturex to expand its manufacturing capabilities in juices and purees and complete the know-how derived from its long-standing vegetable operations by developing a fruit platform,” the company says. “This acquisition will provide access in particular to the organic fruit range and address the growing demand for not from concentrate (NFC) juices that guarantee lower sugar content and the preservation of nutritional values.”

In a third move, Naturex agreed to purchase minority shareholders’ 49% interest of Chile Botanics Santiago, Chile. Naturex had purchased a controlling 51% share of the company in 2014.

Officials say the Chile Botanics move establishes more complete synergies between the company’s North American and South American operations.

“[Naturex] will in this way be able to fully contribute to this structure's development, notably through synergies in terms of fruit and vegetable off-season sourcing and creating application solutions to support the deployment of the fruit and vegetable strategy,” officials say.

All three deals complement other Naturex holdings. Also in 2014, the company purchased Vegetables Juices Inc., a Chicago firm specializing in liquid ingredients. Since then, Naturex has expanded the operation to include additional drying technologies.

"This mix of external and organic growth is fully in line with Naturex's strategy for accelerating the development of our platform of natural fruit and vegetable-based ingredients,” notes Olivier Rigaud, Naturex CEO and director. “This will expand our expertise by strengthening our industrial footprint with additional technological know-how, sourcing, traceability and access to the organic sectors, in order to better service our customers. This complementary offering will make it possible to develop synergies between different product categories and applications—such as savory, beverages, functional foods and nutrition and health—and increase our penetration with existing customers.”

Rigaud adds, “These initiatives confirm our determination to accelerate the pace of our development and give a new impetus to our offering of natural solutions coming from fruits and vegetables, and in so doing address the specific needs of our customers, by supporting them in adapting to changes and trends in our markets."

About Naturex 

Naturex sources, manufactures and markets natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries. Headquartered in Avignon, France, Naturex has experienced steadily-increasing growth throughout the last 25 years. The group employs 1,700 people worldwide and in 2016 had revenue of €404.4 million. Visit www.naturex.com for additional details.