NATUREX : Fruit and Vegetable strategy in the United States: Organic and external growth

• Acquisition of selected industrial technologies and operations of Haliburton International Foods, specialised in natural vegetable-based solutions


• Exclusive negotiations to acquire a fruit-based specialty business and production capabilities in the United States


• Diversification of Vegetables Juices Inc.'s manufacturing base and buyout of Chile Botanics' minority interests to create business and sourcing synergies

Press release

Avignon, 12 September 2017 - Naturex, the global leader in specialty plant-based natural ingredients, informs its shareholders of strategic advances in the F&V market in the United States.

A combination of organic growth and external growth

Present in the market for natural vegetable-based ingredients through Vegetables Juices Inc., acquired in 2014, Naturex is pursuing organic and external growth opportunities to strengthen its leadership position in the United States. These will enable Naturex to take advantage of strong market trends in favour of the natural, clean label products and nutrition as well as energise its business project portfolio in this key product category¹.

For the "organic" growth component, Naturex's aim was to diversify the manufacturing capabilities of Vegetable Juices Inc., until now specialised in a liquid transformation process for vegetable-based specialty products, by investing in a drying technology in order to expand its product portfolio and its scope of applications.

Intent on creating synergies within the Group and, in particular, between the North American and Latin American regions, Naturex concluded an agreement with Chile Botanics' minority shareholders to buy out their 49% stake. The Group will in this way be able to fully contribute to this structure's development, notably through synergies in terms of fruit and vegetable off-season sourcing and creating application solutions to support the deployment of the F&V strategy.

For the "external" growth component, Naturex further strengthens both its commercial base in the beverage and food industry segment and its industrial footprint in the United States, through two acquisitions:

• On the one hand, by acquiring selected industrial technologies and operations of Haliburton International Foods². This acquisition will enable Naturex to integrate a new technology (roasting) as well as natural vegetable-based solutions (purees, sauces, roasted veggies);


• On the other hand, Naturex has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire a fruit-based specialty business and a production facility in the United States. This will enable Naturex to expand its manufacturing capabilities in juices and purees and complete the know-how derived from its long-standing "vegetable" operations by developing a "fruit" platform. This acquisition will provide access in particular to the Organic fruit range and address the growing demand for NFC (Not From Concentrate) juices that guarantee lower sugar content and the preservation of nutritional values.

Creating value for Vegetable Juices Inc. with a reinforced business model

The purpose of these initiatives is to strengthen Vegetable Juices Inc.'s business model and positioning as a multi-specialist in the very promising market of fruit and vegetable-based natural ingredients.

The deployment of this F&V strategy covers Naturex's three value propositions (Source - Convert - Deliver):

• Expanding our local sourcing regions in North America and off-sourcing regions with Chile. By acquiring expertise in regions very rich in terms of fruit and vegetables, particularly Organic varieties, it will be possible to guarantee the quality, freshness and traceability of the raw materials;


• Supplementing Vegetable Juices Inc.'s historic technology for juices by adding two new technologies (dry and roasted products);


• By combining the F&V know-how to diversify the customer base and develop synergies between our platforms.

"This mix of external and organic growth is fully in line with Naturex's strategy for accelerating the development of our platform of natural fruit and vegetable-based ingredients.

This will expand our expertise by strengthening our industrial footprint with additional technological know-how, sourcing, traceability and access to the organic sectors, in order to better service our customers.

This complimentary offering will make it possible to develop synergies between different product categories and applications (like "savoury", beverages, functional foods and nutrition & health) and increase our penetration with existing customers,", commented Olivier Rigaud, Naturex's Chief Executive Officer and Director.

“These initiatives confirm our determination to accelerate the pace of our development and give a new impetus to our offering of natural solutions coming from fruits and vegetables, and in so doing address the specific needs of our customers, by supporting them in adapting to changes and trends in our markets."

• Upcoming publications (at the closing of Euronext Paris)

  
  
  - H1 2017 results
  13 September 2017
  
  
  - Third-quarter financial information
  14 November 2017
  
  
  

• Upcoming events

  
  
  - Analysts meeting (SFAF - French Society of Financial Analysts), Paris
  14 September 2017
  
  
  - US Investor Day
  
  (New Jersey, United States)
  3 October 2017
  
  
  

• SFAF analysts meeting of 14 September 2017
  
  Naturex will present its 2017 interim consolidated results at the analysts meeting (SFAF - French Society of Financial Analysts) of 14 September 2017 at 10 a.m. (admissions as from 9:30 a.m.) at the offices of Orrick, 31 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75016 Paris.). A webcast of the presentation will be available live and by retransmission from the following links:

ACCESS TO THE WEBCAST

Analysts meeting (SFAF - French Society of Financial Analysts) of 14 September 2017 at 10:00 a.m.

• Access to the webcast from a computer

To access the live or replay version of this webcast from a computer, click on: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/idg4unxn

• Access to the webcast from a mobile device - QR code

To access the live or replay version of this webcast from mobile phones or tablet devices using iOS and android operating systems:

About Naturex

Naturex sources, manufactures and markets natural speciality ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries. As the Natural Maker, the company actively supports the global shift from synthetic to natural through an offer built on two main focus areas: My Natural Food and My Natural Selfcare. Naturex's portfolio includes colours, antioxidants, speciality fruits & vegetables, phytoactives, and numerous other plant-based natural ingredients, designed to create healthy, authentic and effective products.

The Group's strong commitment to quality, sustainability, continuous innovation process, and the talent of its people are at the heart of its success.

Headquartered in Avignon, France, Naturex has experienced steadily-increasing growth throughout the last 25 years. The Group employs 1,700 people worldwide and in 2016 had revenue of €404.4 million.

The Group is listed on Euronext Paris, Compartment B - Index: Euronext Next 150, Enternext CAC PEA-PME 150, CAC Small & Mid, CAC Small, Gaïa - Ticker: NRX - Reuters: NATU.PA - Bloomberg: NRX:FP - DR SYMBOL: NTUXY

 NATUREX, From Nature to You

• Contacts

Carole Alexandre

Investor Relations

Tel.: +33 (0)4 90 23 78 28

[email protected]
Anne Catherine Bonjour

Actus Finance Press Relations

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 93

[email protected]

¹ Key product categories identified within the Bright2020 strategic plan: natural colours, natural antioxidants, specialty fruit and vegetable-based ingredients and phytoactives.

² Namely the acquisition of the business assets, know-how and industrial equipment. As was agreed by both parties, the financial details of the acquisition are not disclosed.

Source: Actusnews