Darling International to buy Dutch rival Vion Ingredients for $2.2 bn

Darling International Inc, the largest food waste recycler of in the US, yesterday agreed to buy its smaller Dutch rival Vion Ingredients, a division of Vion Holding N.V., for €1.6 billion ($2.2 billion).

Vion Ingredients develops and produces specialty ingredients from animal origin for applications in pharmaceuticals, food, feed, pet food, fertilizer and bio-energy. 

Its global network of 58 facilities on five continents covers all aspects of animal by-product processing through six brands including Rendac, Sonac, Ecoson, Rousselot, CTH, and Best Hides.

Vion Ingredients' rendering business has leading positions across Europe with operations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Italy under the Rendac and Sonac brand names.  

Value added products include edible fats, blood products and plasma meals, bone products, protein meals and fats.  

Rousselot is the leading market provider of gelatin for the food, pharmaceuticals, and pet food industries with operations in the US, Europe, South America and China, while CTH is a market leader in natural casings for the sausage business with operations in the US, Europe and China.

Formed in 1930 and is based in Son en Breugel, the Netherlands, Vion Ingredients employs around 5,700 people and has annual revenues of approximately €1.6 billion.

"Our vision of creating a sustainable ingredients business for a growing population is well on its way.  The combination of Vion Ingredients with Darling International will create the global leader in converting edible and inedible bio-nutrients streams into specialty products and ingredients for the food, feed, fuel, fertilizer and pharmaceutical industries,'' said, Randall Stuewe, chairman and CEO of Darling.

Texas-based Darling is the largest and only publicly traded provider of rendering and bakery residuals recycling solutions to the US food industry.

The company recycles beef, poultry and pork by-product streams into useable ingredients such as tallow, feed-grade fats, meat and bone meal, poultry meal and hides. It also recovers and converts used cooking oil and commercial bakery residuals into valuable feed and fuel ingredients.  These products are primarily sold to agricultural, pet food, leather, oleo-chemical and biodiesel manufacturers around the world. 

The company also provides grease trap collection services and sells used cooking oil collection equipment to restaurants.