Bühler Group Sells Flour Ingredient Business

Bühler Group has sold its flour ingredient business to Swiss group Bakels, a manufacturer and distributor of innovative bakery ingredients and application solutions.

All shares of China-based Buhler Bangsheng Food Ingredients (Guangzhou) have been signed over to Bakels Group. Bakels is a Swiss enterprise with more than 2,750 employees, to which and all 70 employees of Bühler Guangzhou are moving to with immediate effect. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the selling price.

“With Bakels, we have found an excellent owner and strategic partner for flour ingredient solutions,” says Johannes Wick, CEO of Bühler’s Grains & Food business.

Its main focus is on ingredients for bakery and confectionery. “Flour ingredients have been a missing link in our portfolio so far. We are excited to close that gap now by taking over Bühler’s well-positioned business and strengthen our position in China,” says Armin Ulrich, Bakels’ chairman. Bakels will partner with Bühler to develop the flour ingredients business, Ulrich adds. The two companies will cooperate strategically to offer flour ingredient solutions under Bakels’ lead to milling and bakery customers.

Bühler had been active within the flour ingredient business since 2010. The business proved profitable over the last years, focusing mainly on the Chinese market. The move takes place as the outlook of the flour ingredient business looks very promising, with growing demand for baked foods, increasing food safety levels, and the rise of highly nutritional food.

Bühler’s strategic direction sees process solutions and customer services at its core. “Bühler has been active in the flour ingredients business to understand the entire value chain in order to provide better consulting capabilities throughout the life cycle of assets. Now we can do this even better, thanks to our professional partner who is active in a large array of segments. We are convinced that this business can unleash its full potential on a global scale, with Bakels as owner and Bühler as a strategic partner,” says Johannes Wick.

In 2019, Bühler took steps and called on industry to act now for a sustainable future, as the world faces climate change and growing population. Stefan Scheiber, CEO of Bühler Group, said: “We are ready to accept the challenge and in fact we are convinced that this is a pathway to building sustainable businesses delivering sustainable solutions. But we are running out of time. That is why we have increased our sustainability goals: our aim is to reduce energy requirements, water consumption, and waste by 50% in our customers’ value chains. No business can do this alone. We need widescale collaboration from every sector and part of the world.”

Photo caption: Patrick Gloggner, Bakels Group CEO, Johannes Wick, CEO Bühler Grains & Food, Armin Ulrich, Bakels chairman, Stefan Scheiber, CEO Bühler Group, Mark Macus, CFO Bühler Group (left to right).