The Cristal Union Group, via its holding company Cristal Financière, concluded an agreement with the Lesaffre family for the acquisition of 100 percent of the Société de Participations Industrielles, which holds a majority stake in Lesaffre Frères.
This new grouping will allow the company to sustainably secure beet crops in the southern part of the Paris region, whilst at the same time strengthening Cristal Union’s industrial infrastructure. The geographical position of the Nangis sugar plant and its beet-production area represents a real advantage for extending the Group’s activities in the southern part of the Paris region.
The family-owned sugar plant based in Nangis has 110 employees and transforms about 600,000 tons of sugar beet per year delivered by 330 producers cultivating over 8,000 hectares of sugarbeet crops. The plant possesses efficient industrial facilities equipped with high-performance decarbonization installations and has qualified teams.
Through its association with the Cristal Union cooperative group, the Nangis sugar plant will have access to the financial and human resources necessary for addressing new challenges, in particular with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), thus ensuring the long-term stability of its activity.
The activity of the Nangis sugar plant will be maintained with its personnel. Product marketing will continue to be ensured by Cristalco, the sales division of Cristal Union, as has been the case since 2006.
This operation is subject to the approval of the relevant authorities.
Cyril Lesaffre, CEO of Lesaffre Frères said, “From a commercial perspective, Lesaffre Frères has been collaborating with Cristal Union for 20 years now, and we have always worked in a climate of mutual trust and respect. The sale of the Lesaffre family’s sugar plant to Cristal Union represents a passing of the torch and an opportunity for the future. By associating our sugar plant, which has over one hundred years of history, with a cooperative group such as Cristal Union that is both solid and reliable, we know that we will have access to the resources we need to address the economic, human and environmental challenges that it will be faced with!”
Xavier Astolfi, General Manager of Cristal Union said, “This acquisition of the Nangis sugar plant is a great opportunity, both for our cooperative Group and Lesaffre Frères, as well as all of the crop growers. The geographical location of the sugar plant and its sugar beet production area represents a real advantage for Cristal Union, which can extend its activities into the southern part of the Paris region. The Nangis sugar plant, whose activities Cristal Union plans to develop, is an efficient plant, equipped with high-performance decarbonization installations and has qualified teams. With Cristal Union it will have the means to address future challenges!”
For more information, visit http://www.sucrerie-lesaffre.fr/ and https://www.cristal-union.fr.