Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is among the bidders for German beverage and natural flavors manufacturer, Wild Flavors, in a deal that is valued at US$2.04 billion. ADM is one of the biggest producers of food ingredients with more than 270 processing plants across six continents. Wild is the sixth largest flavor producer in the world, and if ADM is successful in this acquisition, it would gain access to a large supply of seasonings, extracts, and colors derived from natural sources and will help the company tap into the growing consumer demand for more natural food ingredients. ADM has been expanding its presence in a variety of global sectors ever since its takeover bid for GrainCorp. was rejected by the Australian government in November, 2013. In March the company announced it is building a protein additive plant in Brazil and then proceeded to announce the construction of a sweetener and soluble fiber plant in China. Other bidders for Wild include British ingredients company Tate & Lyle, Swiss flavors company Givaudan, Japanese seasoning company Ajinomoto, and private equity group EQT. KKR owns 35% of Wild while the remaining 65% is owned by Hans Peter Wild. Wild owns the mint oil maker A.M. Todd, extract maker Alfrebro, the Capri Sun beverage brand, and has bought Cargill’s juice blends business.
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