Ingredion to Acquire Food Texture Systems Firm TIC Gums

Ingredient solutions provider Ingredion Inc. entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire TIC Gums Inc., a private American company that provides gum-based texturizer systems to the food and beverage industry, for $400 million, the Westchester, IL-based company announced Tuesday.

“As a leader in texture systems for decades, TIC Gums has grown significantly over the past several years through deep R&D expertise and a differentiated and focused approach to customer experience,” said Ilene Gordon, chairman and chief executive officer of Ingredion, in a statement. “The team has an excellent track record in developing and delivering proprietary, customized systems. This acquisition propels us into a new era of on-trend texture development with even more solutions for organic and clean-label demands.”

TIC Gums combines texturizers, made from a variety of agriculturally-sourced ingredients like gum acacia and guar, into systems for use in food and beverages. Their use of natural ingredients lends to innovative texture systems and allow for clean label reformulation, Ingredion said in a press release.

“TIC Gums’ and Ingredion’s strengths compliment each other perfectly. We share a vision around the importance of texture and stabilization in food and beverage formulation. By coming together, we will truly be able to focus on the correct technical solutions for our customers whether they be starch, gum, or systems containing both,” said TIC Gums president Gregory Andon in the release. “Ingredion’s global footprint will enable us to achieve our geographical expansion goals much faster than we otherwise could on our own. We believe our business model strength in clean-label formulation with the most dynamic players in the food and beverage space has significant untapped potential on the global stage.”

Two production facilities, one in the U.S. and another in China, are operated by TIC, and the company owns R&D labs in both nations. The combination will offer “the widest range of texture capabilities,” Ingredion said.

“Combined with Ingredion’s global presence and portfolio of starch-based texturizers, there’s even more opportunity for robust growth and expansion,” said Gordon.

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