Distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients Azelis has acquired Euroconsultant Ltd., a Polish distributor of flavors, shelf life extenders and other products predominantly for the meat segment. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year.

Azelis reports it has developed strong expertise selling flavors into the meat segment and meat is a Polish diet staple as the country is a major producer of meat products. Poland, a country with almost 40 million inhabitants, has one of the fastest growing European economies.

The transaction sees Azelis acquire 100 percent of Euroconsultant, with all employees joining the Azelis team. Although Euroconsultant is predominantly active in the meat segment, the company is diversifying into other segments such as fish, cheese, dairy and poultry flavors. The company seeks to replace the traditional smoking methods with a clean, safe and economic processes using smoke condensates.

Azelis’ focus on application development and innovation is already well recognized in the industry and the company has been renowned for its innovative product formulations across the regions in which it operates, winning a number of outstanding industry awards.

“We are very excited to bring on board such a well-reputed company like Euroconsultant, known in the market for its expertise and service,” says Renata Bugiel, Regional Managing Director Poland and Ukraine at Azelis.

“The merger supports our further growth in Poland and beyond, allowing us to provide an improved product offering and customer reach. Meat consumption in Poland is expected to stay high while more customers switch to the use of flavors compared to traditional smoking methods. Azelis already has a lot of expertise in the smoke segment and integration with Euroconsultant it will further enhance our position in this market,” notes Bugiel.

Bugiel says that Poland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. “Meat is a staple part of Polish diets and the country is a major producer of meat products.”

According to Bugiel, “The acquisition of Euroconsultant will allow us to expand our food ingredient distribution platform in Poland and bring expertise to our organization. Combining Euroconsultant and Azelis will allow us to serve our customers better and provide a larger and better product portfolio.”

Bugiel also notes that the red meat segment will see growth as a result of this, but also other meat products such as poultry. “Meat consumption in Poland is still very high, contrary to the trend of plant-based eating,” she adds.

“We are and will continue to look for companies with a good strategic and cultural fit with Azelis to improve our offering to both our customers and our principals.”

Michał Bąbelek and Bartosz Maryniak, Founders and Managing Directors of Euroconsultant, also add: “We are very proud of what we have achieved over the last decade, having gradually grown the company to where it is today. Joining Azelis will only strengthen the company and will enable us to continue to thrive under their ownership, securing long-term prospects for our principals, customers, employees and other partners.”

“While we focus on integration in short-term, we will continue to pursue our long-term ambition of increasing the use of clean smoke condensates.”

“Joining such a global player like Azelis will enable us to not only continue to deliver high-quality products and services to our customers but to also access new growth opportunities. Our business will benefit from the specialty chemicals focus of Azelis and their immense technical knowledge, including access to food labs,” they conclude.