PLYMOUTH -- Zentis North America will roughly double in size and expand into additional markets with the recent acquisition of Philadelphia-based Sweet Ovations.
Zentis North America produces fruits for the bakery and yogurt industries while Sweet Ovations offers fruit-based, sweet and other flavorings for those and additional markets.
"Sweet Ovations will enable us to enrich our internally generated expertise in areas such as bakery products, ice cream and food service," Norbert Weichele, CEO of Zentis Food Solutions North America, said in a release. "This will provide the company with a great deal of potential for new growth."
As a result of the acquisition, Zentis North America will nearly double in size to about 500 total employees. Besides the Zentis operation in Plymouth, Sweet Ovations maintains operations in Philadelphia and the Los Angeles area.
Weichele said Zentis North America was interested in Sweet Ovations mostly because it gives the business the opportunity to expand into new markets and develop new areas of expertise. It was not about gaining efficiencies, he explained by phone Monday.
Based in Germany, Zentis set up operations in North America when it located in the former Ready Pack salad-processing plant about six years ago. In May, it announced a $15.6 million project to expand its production capabilities and create up to 67 new jobs in Plymouth by 2014.
The company currently employs about 273 in Plymouth.
Sweet Ovations, which was established in 1936 and has annual sales of about $100 million per year, has top manufacturing facilities and research and development to complement operations in Plymouth.
"Our mission with the acquisition of Sweet Ovations is not directed towards building up a new business in the U.S.; rather, this acquisition allows us to draw on the world-class expertise and facilities of both companies," said Stephan Jansen, member of the management board and CFO, responsible for finances and IT/organization.
Zentis North America produces fruits for the bakery and yogurt industries while Sweet Ovations offers fruit-based, sweet and other flavorings for those and additional markets.
"Sweet Ovations will enable us to enrich our internally generated expertise in areas such as bakery products, ice cream and food service," Norbert Weichele, CEO of Zentis Food Solutions North America, said in a release. "This will provide the company with a great deal of potential for new growth."
As a result of the acquisition, Zentis North America will nearly double in size to about 500 total employees. Besides the Zentis operation in Plymouth, Sweet Ovations maintains operations in Philadelphia and the Los Angeles area.
Weichele said Zentis North America was interested in Sweet Ovations mostly because it gives the business the opportunity to expand into new markets and develop new areas of expertise. It was not about gaining efficiencies, he explained by phone Monday.
Based in Germany, Zentis set up operations in North America when it located in the former Ready Pack salad-processing plant about six years ago. In May, it announced a $15.6 million project to expand its production capabilities and create up to 67 new jobs in Plymouth by 2014.
The company currently employs about 273 in Plymouth.
Sweet Ovations, which was established in 1936 and has annual sales of about $100 million per year, has top manufacturing facilities and research and development to complement operations in Plymouth.
"Our mission with the acquisition of Sweet Ovations is not directed towards building up a new business in the U.S.; rather, this acquisition allows us to draw on the world-class expertise and facilities of both companies," said Stephan Jansen, member of the management board and CFO, responsible for finances and IT/organization.
