Stepan Acquires Clarinol, Marinol, PinnoThin

MAYWOOD, N.J.Stepan Company acquired the Clarinol®, Marinol® and PinnoThin® product lines of Lipid Nutrition B.V., formerly a part of IOI Loders Croklaan Group. Stepan said the transition period will last 90 days while it integrates the operations of Lipid Nutrition. During the course of the integration period, Stepan will contact its customers with any changes and details of the integration. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

The acquired product lines will be integrated into Stepan's food and health specialties business, which will be renamed Stepan Lipid Nutrition. F. Quinn Stepan Jr., president and CEO of Stepan Company, said it will now be able to offer an omega-3 line along with its NEOBEE® medium-chain triglycerides.

Furthermore," said Emile Henein, business development manager, Stepan Company, Our structured lipid development projects can be leveraged further with the acquired patents and technology."  

The new ingredients offered by Stephan are: Clarinol conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), currently patented, GRAS (generally recognized as safe) and sold as a dietary supplement to reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass; Marinol concentrated GRAS omega-3 triglycerides, used in clinical and infant nutritional products to promote cardiovascular and neurological health; and PinnoThin, also GRAS, and derived from pine nuts and functions as an appetite suppressant.

 The business management activities will be centralized in the existing Maywood, NJ, facility, with a new European sales and operations team office located in the Netherlands. The acquired products will be manufactured at Stepans Maywood, New Jersey plant as well as at existing outside contract manufacturers for sale on a global basis.

Henein said the company is reviewing expansions plans during the integration to help ensure production capacity is met, but noted Stepan had been a back up supplier to Lipid Nutrition for years and holds several patents for the manufacture of CLA.  The combined Stepan Lipid Nutrition will operate multiple processes for the production of CLA in the United States and Europe, and will increase our available volume in respective regions around the world." 

Stepan said this acquisition will benefit its global food, flavor, infant formula and dietary supplements market. Stepan said because it is already a leading supplier of medium-chain triglycerides to the North American markets, and Lipid Nutrition has a strong presence outside the United States, Stepan Lipid Nutrition will have global market reach with the combined portfolio. Further, Stepan Lipid Nutrition will target additional market segments in the global food, nutritional and pharmaceutical industries, and include the following segments: weight management, sports nutrition, infant and clinical nutrition, o infant formula, medical food, pharmaceutical excipients, dietary supplements, beverages, pet food,  animal feed, veterinary applications and functional foods.