Investor, Novax has completed the acquisition of Louis François SAS, the French developer of specialty functional ingredients for culinary artisans and food producers.
Founded in 1908, family-owned Louis François has a century-long history of developing and providing premium ingredients and solutions to its customer base of gastronomic clients and premium chefs worldwide.
Pär Warnström, Head of Future of Food at Novax, said: “We are both proud and excited to partner up with Jean-Claude and the team at Louis François in this next chapter of their journey.
“Louis François illustrates the traits of a true market leader – a fundamentally strong and competitive niche position, an unparalleled brand recognition well-known for quality and service, and a strong and experienced management team.
“As a family-owned firm ourselves, we take pride in our unique position to honor family business values and look forward to working together with Jean-Claude and the team on growing Louis François further.”
In partnering with Novax, Louis François will join the newly formed Ingå Group – a Novax long-term initiative centered around healthy and sustainable ingredient solutions for the food industry, joining alongside the UK & Netherlands-based functional ingredients developer and supplier Ulrick & Short.
Jean-Claude François, Louis François’ owner and third generation of the François family, said: “We have found a long-term partner sharing our values, vision and view on growing our business further.
“This alliance will preserve Louis François’ DNA and the history of our brand, while supporting the company in the next phase of its journey. We are committed to ensure a smooth transition for all of our employees and stakeholders at large and look forward to partnering with Ulrick & Short in the Ingå Group.”
CEO of Ingå Group, Adrian Short, said: “We have made significant investments expanding our capabilities within product development, sales and marketing, paving the way for long-term growth. I am confident that Louis François will benefit from similar long-term support as part of the Ingå family.”