| Dean Foods To Buy Alpro, Expand Soy Presence |
| Monday, 15 June 2009 16:27 | |||
 Dallas, Texas, June 2009 – It’s been announced that Dean Foods Co. will buy the Alpro division of Vandemoortele NV, Belgium's largest privately held food company, as it looks to boost its position in the global soy foods market.
Dean Chairman and Chief Executive Gregg Engles said the deal establishes the company "as a clear global leader in the attractive soy beverages and related products category." He added Dean sees significant opportunities for growth. Soyfood sales broached $4 billion in the U.S. for the first time in 2008, according to organic and natural foods market analyst SPINS. The deal is expected to be complete in the third quarter. Alpro will be run as a separate European business. Alpro CEO Bernard Deryckere will report to Joe Scalzo, CEO of Dean's WhiteWave-Morningstar division. A leading U.S. food and beverage company, Dean Foods is also the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products in the country. The WhiteWave-Morningstar business produces and sells a variety of nationally branded soy, dairy and dairy-related products. Popular brands include: Silk® soymilk, Horizon Organic® milk and dairy products, International Delight® coffee creamers, and LAND O'LAKES® creamers. Additionally, the WhiteWave-Morningstar segment produces and sells private label cultured and extended shelf life dairy products through the Morningstar platform. Alpro is a European pioneer in soy-based products. For more than 25 years, Alpro has been championing health & wellness and a more sustainable way of producing tasty products that conserve the soy beans unique nutritional value. Today, Alpro is the pan-European market leader in branded soy food products with the brands Alpro ® and Provamel®. Alpro employs approximately 750 staff in five state-of-the-art manufacturing sites in Belgium, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. SOURCE: Dean Foods
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