Oterra^™ is pleased to announce that it has closed its acquisition of SECNA Natural Ingredients Group S.L.

This is the first acquisition for Oterra, which itself was purchased by private investment firm EQT in March 2021 when Chr. Hansen divested their natural colours business. Oterra, recently announced its intention to pursue a second acquisition, namely Diana Food’s colours business. 

Odd Erik Hansen, CEO of Oterra, stated, “This is an exciting time for the industry as demand for natural colors continues to increase. We expect the addition of SECNA to be a meaningful contributor to Oterra’s growth in 2021 and beyond, as we solidify our position as one of the world’s leading suppliers of natural colours. We look forward to offering both our, and SECNA’s, customers a fully integrated go-to-market service soon.”

With this acquisition, Oterra, will further enhance its value offerings to customers worldwide. Notable portfolio additions include SECNA’S anthocyanins from black carrots and grape, as well as caramel, and an organic range. After a period, the SECNA group will be fully incorporated into Oterra.

Approximately 80 SECNA employees, based in Spain and Italy, will join Oterra. This is an exciting time for Oterra, who look forward to having them on the team. “SECNA’s skilled and competent workforce stood out from the start, and I am happy to welcome them to the Oterra family,” said Odd Erik Hansen.

Chr. Hansen Natural Colors, an EQT portfolio company, announces its first major transaction, after becoming a standalone company, further bolstering the company’s position as the world leader in natural colours.

Chr. Hansen Natural Colors, a world leading provider of natural colors with the widest portfolio in the industry, has announced plans to continue its strong growth acceleration with the integration of SECNA Natural Ingredients Group S.L into its portfolio.

This is the first add-on investment since being acquired by private equity firm EQT, and it significantly strengthens Chr. Hansen Natural Colors position by giving it access to SECNA Groups’ strong pigment portfolio, which notably includes anthocyanins from black carrots and grape, and caramel.

“We’re committed to continuing to find new ways to harness and share the power of nature’s true colours. This is the first of many exciting milestones for us as a standalone company. We look to enhance our value proposition and strengthen our operational platform together with the team at SECNA at a time when demand for naturally sourced colours is increasing” said Odd Erik Hansen, CEO, Chr. Hansen Natural Colors.

For SECNA Group CEO, Gabriel Muñoz, this partnership is the ideal opportunity to join forces with a like-minded established industry leader. “It’s a win–win situation as Chr. Hansen Natural Colors will add our strong pigment offerings in anthocyanins and caramel to their collection, while providing our valued customers and suppliers with access to their portfolio, technologies and market reach, which is the most extensive in the industry”.

“The combination of our colour platforms puts us in a prime position to better serve the market and our customers, and we’re looking forward to welcoming SECNA Groups’ 100 employees to the Chr. Hansen Natural Colors team” said Klaus Bjerrum, COO, Chr. Hansen Natural Colors.

The SECNA group is a holding of several companies, with a presence in Spain, Italy and Turkey.