Avril has announced the acquisition of Lecico, a German company specialising in lecithins and phospholipids. This follows the recent launch of two sunflower lecithin units in France and Romania along with the integration of the specialty ingredients player Novastell.

Lecico will join the Avril Oil & Ingredient Solutions (OIS) platform, the dedicated business unit focused on refined oils, specialty oils and ingredients. Through the various subsidiaries of Avril group (Saipol, Lesieur, Kerfoot, Novastell), the company says that Avril OIS already offers to the food, health & nutrition, personal care and cosmetic markets an extensive portfolio of vegetable oils and ingredients produced by its European facilities.

Olivier Delamea, General Manager of the Oilseeds Processing and Oils & Condiments Business Lines, said: "The acquisition of Lecico marks an important stage in the acceleration of our products and services offer for health and nutrition businesses which is part of Avril strategy. Avril Oil & Ingredient Solutions platform is expanding its global market reach with a new German team and site that join the Avril Group”.

Olivier Tillous-Borde, Managing Director of the Avril OIS platform,said: "With the acquisition of Lecico, Avril is becoming a global player in non-GM lecithins. Synergies with our existing Ingredients activities are obvious and our joint market reach will be stronger. Avril is dedicated to further develop Lecico leadership in high-quality organic lecithins. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the Lecico team as they join the Avril Group.”

Andrea Wolters and Jens Heiser, Founders and Managing Directors of Lecico, said: "As part of Avril, we trust Lecico’s business and team will keep growing in line with the professionalism and the values we have always aimed to differentiate with. Leveraging Avril’s support and capabilities is a great opportunity for Lecico in the future”

Valérie Barrois, Sales and Business Development Director for Ingredients at Avril OIS, said: “Since the acquisition of Novastell by Avril, our team has significantly grown the range of natural ingredients and solutions we can offer to our Health & Nutrition customers: from vegetal, egg-based and marine phospholipids, through natural anti-oxidants as tocopherols, to innovative specialty oils and other bio-active ingredients (Folates, Vitamin K2…). With Lecico joining Avril, we now also offer milk-based phospholipids, unique polar lipids with main applications in infant nutrition and used as well for immunity and anti-inflammatory purposes in Adult Nutrition.”