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DSM to acquire Dutch cheese cultures company

DSM has reached agreement for the acquisition of CSK for €150 million. Subject to customary conditions, the transaction is expected to close before the end of the year. CSK has a track record of Dutch heritage semi-hard cheese cultures of more than 100 years since its foundation in 1905.

Dairy is DSM’s single largest segment in food and beverages, and the company says customers are increasingly looking for solution providers with a broad portfolio of offerings and deep expertise, to support them in delivering differentiating, delicious and sustainable end products to consumers.

The combination of DSM’s dairy business and CSK will, it believes, be even better able to serve those needs, and well-placed to address the fast-growing and attractive dairy cultures markets.

With the acquisition of CSK, DSM says it will further strengthen its product portfolio and application know-how and expertise in food & beverage, in particular in the complementary area of taste, texture and bio-preservation solutions for semi-hard cheeses such as Dutch heritage cheeses Gouda and Edam. The transaction will include CSK’s dairy application centre in the heart of Food Valley, Wageningen (the Netherlands). In addition, it will bring its high-tech fermentation facility in Leeuwarden (the Netherlands) into DSM’s global manufacturing network, providing additional production capacity for a range of products, located in the strategically important European region. CSK generated in 2018 net sales of €65 million with approximately 180 employees, around 150 of whom are based in the Netherlands.

Patrick Niels, DSM Food Specialties President, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Royal CSK to DSM. Our companies have a great fit together, with shared passion for dairy, skilled and dedicated people, and complementary solution portfolios. This is also a testament to DSM’s commitment to the dairy industry, which we support throughout our Nutrition businesses. Today’s dairy needs are constantly changing, and DSM continues to invest in enabling customers to keep satisfying consumer demand, helping them grow their business, while we grow ours in line with our purpose-led, performance-driven strategy. The acquisition of CSK will greatly strengthen our ability to do so.”

Sanne Melles, CEO of Royal CSK, said: “In DSM, we recognize the opportunity for CSK to make the leap forward that we were looking for. Our combined capabilities will accelerate our international growth ambition and enhance our innovative offerings to the dairy industry”.