IFF has reported its fourth quarter and full year results, describing 2018 as “historic” with a record sales increase of 17% to $4 billion and its acquisition of Frutarom which it describes as “transformational”.

“2018 was a pivotal year in the long and successful history of IFF,” said Andreas Fibig, IFF Chairman and CEO. “As an organization, we delivered on all our key financial metrics and completed our acquisition of Frutarom – the largest in our industry to date – all while successfully navigating a challenging and dynamic market environment.”

“We achieved strong advancements in both top and bottom line results in 2018. Highlights include our record-setting sales of approximately $4.0 billion – including sales related to Frutarom, as well as mid-single digit growth in both Taste and Scent – and strong adjusted EPS ex amortization of $6.28.”

“We also made progress strategically to establish ourselves as a global leader in taste, scent and nutrition through the Frutarom acquisition. This combination helps us create a truly differentiated portfolio with an increased focus on naturals and health and wellness. It also provides us opportunities to expand into attractive and faster-growing categories and broadens our complementary and growing customer base.”

“Sustainability also continued to be a prevalent part of our everyday as we surpassed three of our four 2020 environmental targets and launched our new environmental goals with ambitious science-based targets. Our efforts continued to be recognized as we joined Barron’s 100 most sustainable U.S. companies list, qualified for FTSE4Good Developed Market Index for the first time, and we were named to Euronext Vigeo’s World 120 Index – an index that ranks us amongst the top companies within the Euronext universe.”

“As we enter 2019 – recognizing that the operating environment remains dynamic and raw material inflation continues – we are optimistic in our ability to achieve $5.2 billion to $5.3 billion in sales, $4.90 to $5.10 in adjusted EPS and $6.30 to $6.50 in adjusted EPS ex amortization. Our priorities as an organization are clear – execute our strategy, integrate successfully, drive differentiation and embed sustainability – all as we deliver strong financial results and build a stronger company for our customers, employees and shareholders.”