James & Son’s, which is the UK's largest supplier of moist animal feeds, also works with food and beverage processors to ensure that as much of their co-product volume as possible goes to the animal feed or renewable energy market.
It operates across the spectrum of the food and beverage industry, with involvement in brewing, distilling, potato processing, fruit and juice production and wheat starch and ethanol production.
Consolidation in UK co-product market
Dutch group, Agrifirm, took over James & Son in June 2012, with the UK feed firm becoming part of the division of the Dutch group that concentrates on co-product feed activities.
Director of that division, Ed Brouwer, told FeedNavigator that Agrifirm had received a number of approaches over the past few months from UK and Dutch companies seeking to acquire James & Son.
"The co-product feed market in the UK is changing rapidly with increasing consolidation there aping a similar trend in Europe a few years back. The larger operators are aiming to swallow-up some of the smaller-scale businesses in the sector," he said.
Brouwer said he was not in a position to disclose any of the financial details of the transaction.
The 160 year-old James & Son is based in Northamptonshire. It has an annual turnover of £14m ($23.4m) and 43 employees.
“The addition of James & Son to Duynie will result in a stronger partner in the UK market with many opportunities to optimize its service and logistics.
Together, the two companies can bring the best of the knowledge, innovation and services they offer to the UK agribusiness,” said Duynie Holding.
European operations
Duynie Holding is an international trader and manufacturer of animal feed with several locations in Europe, and also specializes in adding value to co-products from the food industry.
It consists of several business units - the Duynie business produces feed for cattle, pig, goat, and veal calve producers in the Netherlands and other European markets, while its Soltens operation collects by-products from a wide range of processing companies in the European food industry, including potatoes, grain, corn and sugar beet for use in feed and other sectors.
Its Novidon unit specializes in processing and upgrading side stream starch from the potato processing industry, while its operation under the Crustell name develops and sells products based on recycled raw materials such as potato cork. Crustell is also active in the production of green fertilizer using recycled minerals.