Orafti buys Belgian rice ingredients

Belgian ingredients company Orafti is to acquire Remy Industries, a Belgium-based producer of food ingredients made from rice, the company announced this week. According to Orafti​, the purchase will complement its product portfolio and will aim to strengthen the market position for both companies. The move is also part of the group's strategy to build up a portfolio of speciality food ingredients. The Orafti Group, a subsidiary of Raffinerie Tirlemontoise/Tiense Suikerraffinaderij in Belgium, part of the Südzucker Group, is a producer of chicory based ingredients. Their product line includes Raftiline®, Raftilose®, and Raftisweet®. Remy, founded in 1855, produces rice starches, rice flours and rice proteins from natural sources. The present owner of Remy, RüTGERS ORGANICS GmbH bought the company in 1988. Dr. Georges Smits, CEO of Orafti, added, "These ingredients have exceptional value as texturising agents, with performances that are unequalled. The Remy products and market approach are also to a large extent comparable to Orafti's. We have a similar customer base and customer service philosophy and our corporate cultures are a perfect fit. The acquisition will offer new opportunities to our customers through the synergies in texturisers and functional ingredients that we will now offer."​ Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.