Ohly acquires savory ingredients company Bakon Yeast

02-Mar-2011 - Last updated on 02-Mar-2011 at 13:53 GMT

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Yeast specialist Ohly, part of the ABF Ingredients group, has acquired the speciality savory ingredients company Bakon Yeast Inc located in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, for an undisclosed sum.

Robert Rouwenhorst, CEO Ohly, told FoodNavigatorUSA.com that the aim of purchase was to: “Extend and grow our portfolio of savory ingredients.”

Value-added yeast

The acquisition also fitted Ohly’s intention to develop wider applications for yeast, he added.

“Bakon Yeast Inc. products complement the savory ingredient portfolio of Ohly, adding further value-added yeast derivatives to the existing product range,” according to a company statement.

The Bakon brand name will continue alongside the existing brand names of Ohly, Provesta, Brumami and ProDry, said the company. The Bakon brand will cover all products that use the natural smoking process of whole cell yeast and yeast components to produce smoke flavourings.

Established in 1933, Bakon Yeast Inc. manufactures yeast-based savory ingredients for the food industry. Known for its naturally, hickory smoked Torula Yeast product range, Bakon products are used in snack seasonings, sauces, meats and vegetarian foods.

Ohly's factories in Hutchinson, MN and Boyceville, WI manufacture Torula inactive yeast and Torula yeast extracts for the savory ingredients market.

ABF Ingredients, a division of Associated British Foods, focuses on high-value ingredients for both food and non-food areas. The group comprises a range of ingredient companies which include AB Enzymes, ABITEC, Ohly and PGP International.

Cereal specialities

Products include: Cereal specialties, enzymes, esters, extruded ingredients, lactose, specialty lipids, specialty powders, specialty flours, yeast extracts and whey protein concentrates/isolates.

Meanwhile, last Fall, Ohly opened a new yeast extract plant in Harbin, north east China to complement its plants in the US and Europe.

The result of a US$50m investment, the Harbin site has the capacity to produce over 15,000 tonnes of yeast extracts a year, for use by the food and fermentation industries.

Speaking at the opening of the yeast extract plant, Stephen Catling, CEO, ABF Ingredients, said the facility was: “…the logical expansion to our Ohly Yeast Specialties business which gives us a global manufacturing footprint to complement our existing plants in Europe and the USA”.

Ohly also operates a food application centre and sales office in Shanghai, China.