The Danish company was one of the original partners behind Emulsion Holland, which was set up in 1950, originally to produce emulsifiers as plate greasing agents for the bakery industry.
It later shifted strategy into extruded products and emulsifiers; today it is said to be the world’s biggest producer of chocolate emulsifiers polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) from castor beans.
The buy-out of the respective 25 per cent stakes held by Dutch firms Protos and Emilijn, for undisclosed sums, was driven by Palsgaard’s desire to be in full control, so it can drive forward the product portfolio in synergy with other emulsifiers products in Juelsminde in Denmark.
Company director Jakob Thoifen told FoodNavigator.com that the Danish R&D department has always supported Emulsion Holland, but that new technologies are in the works that could be applied to the chocolate emulsifiers.
“We believe there could be some spin offs,” he said, adding that there are already some interesting products in the pipeline.
Asian expansion
The news of the Emulsion Holland acquisition is the next step in a strategy for a coordinated, global presence in emusifiers.
It comes on the heels of the announcement that Palsgaard is building a new US $30m emulsifier factory in Asia, in either Malaysia or Singapore, with production scheduled to start in the second half of 2012.
Chairman of the board, Birger Brix, told FoodNavigator.com in February that the factory will solely supply the Asian region, and said the move was logical, enabling the firm to effect logistical savings by situating a dedicated production facility within a major growth market, with closeness to key raw materials such as palm oil.