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Avril has announced the acquisition of Lecico, a German company specialized in lecithins and phospholipids. The Group is thus further structuring and developing its lecithins and specialty ingredients activities.
Following the recent launch of two sunflower lecithin units in France and Romania along with the successful integration of the specialty ingredients player Novastell, Avril will further structure and grow its ingredients activities with the acquisition of Lecico, the German specialist of lecithins and phospholipids.
Lecico will join Avril Oil & Ingredient Solutions platform, the dedicated Business Unit of Avril focused on Refined Oils, Specialty Oils and Ingredients. Through the various subsidiaries of Avril group (Saipol, Lesieur, Kerfoot, Novastell), Avril OIS already offers to the Food, Health & Nutrition, Personal Care and Cosmetic markets an extensive portfolio of vegetable oils and ingredients produced by its European facilities.
Avril’s acquisition of Lecico will favor numerous synergies and complementary solutions, and allow the Group to continue developing innovative solutions for its customers.
According to Olivier DELAMEA, General Manager of the Oilseeds Processing and Oils & Condiments Business Lines within Avril: "The acquisition of Lecico marks an important stage in the acceleration of our products and services offer for health and nutrition businesses which is part of Avril strategy. Avril Oil & Ingredient Solutions platform is expanding its global market reach with a new German team and site that join the Avril Group”.
For Olivier TILLOUS-BORDE, Managing Director of the Avril OIS platform: "With the acquisition of Lecico, Avril is becoming a global player in non-GM lecithins. Synergies with our existing Ingredients activities are obvious and our joint market reach will be stronger. Avril is dedicated to further develop Lecico leadership in high-quality organic lecithins. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the Lecico team as they join the Avril Group.”
For Andrea WOLTERS and Jens HEISER, Founders and Managing Directors of Lecico: "As part of Avril, we trust Lecico’s business and team will keep growing in line with the professionalism and the values we have always aimed to differentiate with. Leveraging Avril’s support and capabilities is a great opportunity for Lecico in the future”
For Valérie BARROIS, Sales and Business Development Director for Ingredients at Avril OIS: “Since the acquisition of Novastell by Avril, our team has significantly grown the range of natural ingredients and solutions we can offer to our Health & Nutrition customers: from vegetal, egg-based and marine phospholipids, through natural anti-oxidants as tocopherols, to innovative specialty oils and other bio-active ingredients (Folates, Vitamin K2…). With Lecico joining Avril, we now also offer milk-based phospholipids, unique polar lipids with main applications in infant nutrition and used as well for immunity and anti-inflammatory purposes in Adult Nutrition.”
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About the AVRIL Group:
Set up in 1983 at the initiative of French farmers in order to assure long-term markets for French agricultural products, Avril is the industrial and finance actor of the oilseeds and proteins sectors.
It is present in France and internationally in sectors as diverse as human foods, animal feeds and expertise, renewable energies and chemistry, and owns a portfolio of strong brands that are leaders in their markets: Diester®, Sanders, Lesieur, Puget, Costa d’Oro, Matines, Bunica, Taous, etc.
In nearly 35 years, the Group has changed in size but its purpose has remained the same: to create sustainable value in the vegetable oils and proteins sector while contributing to better foods for humans and preservation of the planet.
To fulfil its mission, Avril draws strength from its industrial activities organized around plant production and livestock sectors, and from its financial arm which operates through Sofiprotéol, its finance and development company.
In 2017, the Avril Group achieved turnover worth €6.2 billion. It counts 7,600 employees working in 21 countries.
For more information: www.groupeavril.com | Twitter: @Avril
About LECICO:
Based in Hamburg (Germany), Lecico was created in 2007 by Andrea WOLTERS and Jens HEISER. Lecico is a customer-focused and high-quality service provider in the field of lecithins with broad knowledge for multiple nutritional benefits of lecithins and phospholipids.
Lecico is specialized in organic and non-GM lecithins (soya, sunflower and rapeseeds), as well as special phospholipids (including milk-based) and nutraceuticals products.
Lecico commercializes its lecithin products and tailor-made solutions to the Food, Infant Nutrition, Health & Nutrition and Cosmetic markets.
The company’s business covers from upstream product development, products sourcing to refining, and takes care of the logistic for the entire value chain. Lecico provides full traceability for its non-GM and Organic products.
Company website: http://www.lecico.de/