Ingredients companies Italcandati and CSM Ingredients have merged to become Vitalfood, which will be, according to the parties involved, a key partner for companies within in the bakery and dairy sectors. The new company name is taken from the Italcandati brand of the same name.

CSM Ingredients have previously worked with fats and oils​, including plant-based fats and oils replacements. Last year, it helped to develop MirrorTissue, an ingredient which won FIE’s ‘Plant-Based Innovation Award’​. Italcandati is a key player in the yoghurt, gelato and pasty sectors, and produces fruit-based solutions and creams, preparations for yogurt and ice cream, candied fruit, semi-candied fruit, and marron glacé.

The companies will collaborate to provide candied fruit, hydrated creams, and fruit-based preparations. The new entity aims to be a ‘pan-European’ player within these sectors. With Vitalfood, they will have a greater international reach than previously, as well as broader supply capacity and a wider range of products offered.

The merger also increases these two companies’ production capacity, enabling them to take advantage of their plants in Pedrengo (Italy) and Goes (Netherlands), which combined have more than 100,000 square metres of production space, 500 employees and a portfolio of more than 3000 recipes. This gives it a production capacity of 150kT per year.