Lesaffre targets bakery growth with new acquisitions
As part of its ongoing expansion in the sourdoughs and baking ingredients market in Western Europe, yeast specialist Lesaffre has acquired UK-based LFI Tollblend and Tecno Bakery in Spain.
Lesaffre has been in the baking industry for more than 150 years. “We aim to offer an innovative range of bread ingredients and sourdough products alongside with our yeast in response to the various requirements facing our industrial and crafts customers,” says Vincent Saingier, general manager of Lesaffre’s baking unit in Western Europe.
The company recently launched Livendo, a new sourdough brand to provide a wider choice of solutions with varied aromatic profiles. The company wanted to place greater emphasis on ingredients and sourdough in its baking market offer.
This ambition, Lesaffre says, has now been underscored by two recent acquisitions – LFI Tollblend and Tecno Bakery. UK-based LFI Tollblend produces ingredient mixes for the baking and processed foods sectors, with specific gluten-free production capability. It employs 35 people, most of who work in production.
Tecno Bakery, which is based in Barcelona, Spain, specialises in the production of enzyme-based improvers and correctors for flour-milling. The company employs 15 people and has a manufacturing unit and a laboratory.
Lesaffre has been present in Spain since 1991, with a yeast plant based in Valladolid employing 120 people.
Lesaffre CEO Antoine Baule says the acqusitions are “in line with our strategic development objectives in the baking industry and will enable us to expand and strengthen our offer to our customers in terms of improvers and technical assistance for baking”.
