The Cooke family of companies continues to diversify its operations globally. To its expansion in the seafood sector – with operations such as Morubel, Tassal, and, perhaps, Nueva Pescanova – the Canadian giant now adds its expansion in the food and nutraceutical industries. The company announced that its subsidiary Bioriginal has completed two major acquisitions that will expand its global presence in both Asia and the EU.
The companies chosen to carry out these strategic acquisitions are the distributor of natural health ingredients and products in the Asia Pacific region, Cana Corporation, and the Dutch producer of fat and oil-based pet supplements and treats, The Fatory.
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, Cana Corporation sources and imports products worldwide to serve customers in the dietary supplement and functional food and beverage industries. Prior to the acquisition, the company already had a long-standing business relationship with Bioriginal importing various nutritional products from Canada such as coconut oil, flax seed, and borage oil. Now, after the transaction's completion, Cana has become Bioriginal Asia.
Meanwhile, The Fatory was founded in 1996 with a production facility in Bodegraven, the Netherlands, and is the leading supplier of sheep fat and salmon oil treats for dogs in the Benelux and German markets. Under the ownership of Bioriginal – which uses, among other, wild Alaskan fish oils from salmon and pollock for the pet nutrition market – it is rapidly expanding to serve the whole of Europe.
"We made these strategic acquisitions to support Bioriginal's growth plans and increasing market demands," said Shannon Sears, President of Bioriginal. "These are in line with Bioriginal's intention to increase our product range, production capacity, and direct sales capabilities on a global scale. We're excited to be expanding our operations on two continents, and for the unique growth opportunities we see at The Fatory and Bioriginal Asia."
In announcing the acquisitions, the company stated that the acquisitions were completed in 2023 but, since both companies are privately owned, in neither case did it disclose the terms of the transactions. It also said that the current senior management of both companies remains in place. Former Cana owner and director Hiro Takagi will now become CEO of Bioriginal Asia, and Bjorn de Bruijn will remain CEO of The Fatory. Both report to Shannon Sears.
Bioriginal is a global leader in manufacturing natural nutritional foods, ingredients, and supplements for companies in the human and pet nutrition industries. With 30 years of global experience, it has carved out a niche by scientifically combining ingredients from all over the world, directly from the source, to create innovative and efficacious solutions. Wholly owned subsidiary of Cooke Inc., the company headquarters are in Saskatoon, Canada with facilities throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia.
