From left to right: Dieter Kuijl (CEO St. Paul Groep), Mariska Lekkerkerker (CEO Lekkerkerker Food) and Maurits Sandberg (CEO ERU Group) photo: St. Paul / ERU
Processed cheese makers St. Paul and Royal ERU have entered into a strategic partnership for a proposed acquisition and integration of the processed cheese activities of market peer Kasi Food, currently part of Lekkerkerker Food. This will create Europe’s largest producer cooperation in processed cheese.
St. Paul, a major Belgian-Dutch player in the B2B market, and Royal ERU, a Dutch producer specialising in processed cheese for retail and foodservice, are joining forces to take over Kasi Food’s processed cheese production to increase their joint market share. The cooperating parties also aim to realise economies of scale in procurement and production with their partnership. The strategic cooperation and the intended acquisition and integration will create a party that serves large parts of both the B2B market and the B2C market. Moreover, the combination has a large market among foodservice companies that use processed cheese a lot, such as quick-service restaurants. Together, the companies also have many industrial buyers of cheese ingredients for the production of all kinds of cheese snacks.
