Vaessen-Schoemaker acquires functional ingredients producer Agersol

Netherlands-based Vaessen-Schoemaker has acquired a majority stake in Polish functional ingredients producer Agersol.

Based in Katowice, Agersol offers ingredients solutions for meat applications and focuses on the production of alginate-gel based casings.

With this acquisition, Vaessen-Schoemaker has added alginate casings technology to its portfolio of functional ingredients for meat, seafood, bakery and vegetarian application segments.

Vaessen-Schoemaker’s managing director and owner Ad de Haas said: “Alginate casing solutions are designed for sausage production using co-extrusion and are an alternative to other systems such as natural casings, collagen casings, and form the only existing basis for a purely vegetarian casing solution.

“With both the market for sausages as the market for vegetarian products showing strong growth, the potential is significant.”

With more than 70 years of experience in the functional ingredients field, casings activities form a vital part of Vaessen-Schoemaker’s heritage.

Its predecessors owned a large artificial casings processing company in the Netherlands and a natural casings factory in Portugal.

In addition, the deal gives Vaessen-Schoemaker access to another differentiating technology platform and allows the functional ingredients producer Agersol to utilise and benefit from the commercial European network of Vaessen-Schoemaker.

Agersol’s director Tomasz Wcislo said: “With the increasing demand for more convenience foods, our AgerGel has proven to be instrumental in meat snacks, with great appearance such as creating good-looking twisted and linked sausage ends, and thereby outperforming other solutions.”