We Get Bigger

"Updated: June 16th, 2006 12:05 PM PDTAmerican Sugar Refining Acquires Hansen Specialty Sweeteners


American Sugar Refining, Inc. has purchased the specialty sweetener division of Chr. Hansen, Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The transaction includes the specialty sweetener product line of molasses, malt, rice syrup, oat extract, honey, and invert and fondant sugar, as well as production facilities in Louisiana and Illinois.
Shortly after PAI Partners acquired Chr. Hansen last year, it was decided to divest the sweetener activities of the company.
'As we reviewed our business strategies with a determined focus on growth, we realized that sweeteners are not within our core product areas,' said David R. Carpenter, president and CEO of Chr. Hansen in North America, in a prepared statement.
'Thus, we decided to divest Sweeteners, and further strengthen our expertise in developing and supplying cultures, dairy enzymes, natural colors, and flavors.'
American Sugar Refining, Inc., based in Yonkers, N.Y., is the largest cane sugar refiner in the U.S. Its products are marketed by Domino Foods, Inc., which offers a full line of sugar products under the Domino®, C&H® and Florida Crystals® brands.
Brian O'Malley, Domino's president and chief executive officer, said 'the acquisition adds to Domino's offering of specialty sweetener products, which includes natural and organic sugars and rice syrups, molasses, and fondant, icing and brown sugars. We intend to continue to grow the specialty ingredient business through the development of new and unique products that meet our customers' needs for specialty sweeteners.'
The sweeteners business wa"