Anglia Maltings' 360 staff move to new firm's owners

Anglia Maltings Holdings has been snapped up by food processor Richardson International. Anglia's 360-strong workforce is transferring to the new owners under the deal.

Anglia Maltings is the parent company of Edme, a company dating back to 1881 and based at Mistley, near Manningtree, and Crisp Malt of Great Ryburgh, near Fakenham, which also has a maltings at Ditchingham, near Bungay.

Anglia Maltings operates seven malt facilities across the UK, Poland, and Germany including at Alloa and Portgordon. It also owns Micronized Food Products in Northallerton in north Yorkshire.

Anglia Maltings chief executive Stuart Sands welcomed the deal and said the new owner was a good fit for the company and would lead the business to greater success.

"Richardson International, based in Canada, is a world leader in agriculture and food processing,” he said.

"Its 19th century roots have many similarities with ours, with business built on strong relationships with growers - production of excellent ingredients and great customer service.

"It is fantastic that this highly regarded, successful family company is keen to support and invest in our three businesses - the backing will take us on to a new level."

Richardson International was an innovation champions and would help the company deliver on its ambitions for new ingredients and open new doors for our businesses, he added.

"This acquisition will also support us in our quest to keep offering best-in-class customer service to brewers, distillers, bakers, and food manufacturers.”

Richardson International processes and refines Canadian-grown oilseeds and manufactures oil-based ingredients for the retail, food service, and industrial sectors.

It is also involved in processing oats and durum into a variety of value-added food products. Its operations span Canada, the US and the UK.

Richardsons chief executive Curt Vossen said the company had been seeking an opening to enter the malt industry in a significant way for some time.

"We see malting as a natural extension of our food processing business," he said.

"This acquisition brings together two companies that share a common mission. We have great confidence in Anglia Maltings – and their management team – and believe we will find additional synergies and opportunities to grow the business.”

"We look forward to collaborating with them to ensure a continued supply of the quality food ingredients their customers have come to know and expect.”

Malted ingredients firm EDME has been based on the same site next to the River Stour since it began and some of its employees come from families which have been with the business over many generations.

Law firm Mills & Reeve advised Richardson Malting (UK) on the acquisition, through which it attained the entire share capital of Anglia Maltings’ parent company, Ragleth Ltd to give it a strategic foothold in the malting sector. 

Crisp Malt sources its barley from local farmers to make malt for breweries, distilleries and the food industry across the world.

EDME Food Ingredients makes malted and unmalted products for the baking industry.

Mills and Reeves' Anthony McGurk, who led the team which advised Richardson International, said: "As a market leader Anglia Maltings has provided the perfect opportunity for Richardson International to enter the malting industry.

"The two companies have great synergies and their global reputations for excellence will create a powerful force in the sector, enabling both to achieve their ambitious growth plans.”

Crisp employs 115 staff at Great Ryburgh, plus around 90 across Hamburg, Germany and Bydgoszcz, Poland. It also has a team of 15 at Mistley, 10 at Ditchingham and 15 each at Alloa and Portgordon.

MFP employs 15 people at its Yorkshire site, while EDME has an 80-strong workforce at Mistley.