West Caldwell-based Vitaquest International on Monday said it has acquired the Paterson-based powder processing facility from Pharmachem Laboratories, a division of Ashland Inc.
With the acquisition, Vitaquest, based in West Caldwell, can now provide application-specific product development, pilot and commercial manufacturing solutions using fluid bed technology for granulation, agglomeration, microencapsulation, drying & blending of liquid and powder ingredients.
Branded as VQ Technologies, this capability will support the product development and commercialization partner’s activities in helping its customers develop, manufacture and commercialize a broad range of consumer products for nutraceuticals, functional foods & beverages markets.
The acquisition makes Vitaquest International one of the world’s only dietary supplement and functional food product commercialization companies with this capability and extends its range of services from raw material processing, formulation and supplement manufacturing to packaging and fulfillment services.
“Powder and particle engineering are important parts of creating the highest-quality, most effective products and have long been a part of our manufacturing mix. Most companies in our industry outsource this highly specialized capability,” Patrick Brueggman, CEO and president of Vitaquest, said. “Bringing this capability in-house builds on our TotalQ commitment to quality, gives us the ability to broaden our product offerings, and helps our customers get to market faster. This is an important step for us, and we feel like it sets us apart from other companies in our industry.”
Brueggman went on to say that the newly acquired facility will operate under the same industry-leading quality programs as Vitaquest’s three existing facilities in New Jersey.
