Carteret-based Berjé Inc., a global leader and distributor of essential oils and aromatic chemicals, has acquired two top Peruvian companies, Global Citrus International and Acelim del Peru, the company announced Thursday.
With this acquisition, GCI and Acelim will become part of the Berjé family of companies and will be renamed and operated as Citrolim Peru and Acelim.
GCI and Acelim, which also have extensive operations in Mexico, are respected and preeminent growers, processors and suppliers of lime-based products, including fresh limes, lime essential oils, lime juice and lime peel.
The name change and rebranding as Citrolim Peru will facilitate the integration and alignment of these operations into the world-renowned Berjé family of companies, further expanding the company as international producers within the flavor industry.
Berjé has more than 75 years of experience supplying the flavor, fragrance, pharmaceutical and allied trades. Its CEO, Gillian Bleimann-Boucard, said the acquisition made sense on a number of fronts.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Berjé to strengthen our comprehensive line of citrus products, providing our customers access to the highest-quality products available in the marketplace,” she said. “Like Berjé, the Readhimers’ family of businesses has always been known for quality, sustainability and a commitment to its employees, partners and customers. We are thrilled to be able to bolster our citrus line to ensure the quality, traceability and availability that our customers need, and we welcome our new teammates into the Berjé family of companies.”
The acquisition of the Citrolim assets in Peru and collaboration in Mexico will be a seamless, turn-key transaction, with operations continuing uninterrupted and the entire workforce being integrated into the Berjé family of companies, company officials said.
In Peru, Berjé will assume full ownership, management and operation of both the farming and lime processing operations, while in Mexico, Berjé will work with the Readhimer family to continue operations and management of the existing lime processing facility. Berjé will provide the necessary support and resources to facilitate a smooth transition and ensure current employees’ success within the organization.
“Now in our 75th year, the Berjé Group remains committed to our values of ‘Integrity, Industry Leadership, Legacy, Passion, Accountability and Diversity,’” Bleimann-Boucard said. “Our vision is to maintain and grow our global leadership position, building upon our trusted personalized service and our diverse range of fragrance and flavor ingredients, botanicals and functional ingredients from our unparalleled inventory. We are relentlessly committed to our clients, team members and to ethically and sustainably sourcing ingredients from our processing facilities and global producing partners.”
