Powerful alliance will produce a wide range of high-quality (processed) cheese preparations.
St. Paul, a leading player in the international (processed) cheese market, announces the acquisition of Royal ERU.
This acquisition, which follows the strategic partnership that both companies entered into in June 2023, marks an important milestone in St. Paul's growth ambitions by strengthening its position as a market leader in the (processed) cheese market.
St. Paul was founded in 1985 by Dieter and Margo Kuijl, brother and sister from a family where cheese tradition was of paramount importance. After being active in the retail market for a number of years, Dieter and Margo noticed that there was an increasing demand for processed cheeses with functional applications and a longer shelf life. St. Paul anticipated this and decided to shift its focus to the B2B market in the 1990s and built an innovative production line that met the latest requirements. And with success! St. Paul quickly grew into a major player in the international food industry. After years of hard work and growth, the factory in Lokeren, Belgium became too small and the company expanded to St. Jansteen in the Netherlands in 2016. Margo left the company, but Dieter continued with the next generation: his sons Tim and Wim, daughter Sabrina, son-in-law Samuel and daughter-in-law Kimberly.
Since the announcement of the strategic collaboration by both companies in June 2023, Royal ERU and St. Paul have acquired the processed cheese activities of Kasi Food, previously part of the Lekkerkerker Food Group in Lopik, and integrated them in Woerden and Sint Jansteen.
The acquisition of Royal ERU by St. Paul creates a powerful alliance that will produce a wide range of (processed) cheese preparations for the consumer market, out-of-home market and food industry. This diversification enables St. Paul to strengthen its market leadership and anticipate the dynamic demands of different market segments.
Dieter Kuijl, CEO of St. Paul, emphasizes the ambition behind this takeover: “With this historic step, St. Paul will become the largest (processed) cheese producer in the Benelux. We are committed to further developing and expanding our diverse range of high-quality (processed) cheese products to meet the diverse needs of consumers, out-of-home and food industries.”
The deal is subject to approval by the market authority ACM.
