Chr. Hansen

Chr. Hansen A/S

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Type	Publicly traded Aktieselskab
Traded as	OMX: CHR
Industry	Chemicals, biotechnology
Founded	1874
Headquarters	Hørsholm, Denmark
Key people	Ole Andersen (Chairman), Cees de Jong (President and CEO)
Products	Food colorings, microbiological cultures, probiotics, phytonutrients, enzymes
Revenue	€859 million (2014/2015)
Number of employees	2,600 (average, 2014/2015)
Website	www.chr-hansen.com

Chr. Hansen A/S is a global company based in Hørsholm, Denmark which produces natural ingredients for the food, beverage, dietary supplements and agricultural industry. The company is a supplier of food cultures, probiotics, enzymes and natural colors. Its products are used in cheese production, fermented milk, meat, food service, beverages, wine, fruit preparation, ice and desserts, confectionery, cereals, spreads, bakery products, snacks, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. Chr. Hansen A/S has development centers in Denmark, the United States, France and Germany including research facilities in Denmark and France. A large percentage of the employees engage in research and development for the international food and pharmaceuticals industry.

Chr. Hansen A/S has five main production sites: two in Denmark and one each in France, Germany and the US. and an international presence in 30 countries. It has been listed on Nasdaq OMX Copenhagen since June 3, 2010, under the symbol "CHR". Its flavorings division was purchased by Symrise in 2008.

History

The company is named for its founder, Christian D.A. Hansen, a pioneering Danish chemist whose work focused on enyzmes. Hansen began the company in 1874 as a joint venture with pharmacist H.P. Madsen.

Initial products included animal rennet for cheese-making as well as annatto-based coloring agents for butter and cheese. Operations in the United States were begun shortly thereafter in 1878. Their lines soon expanded to include starter cultures for cheese, yogurt and sour cream. Hansen's son Johannes took over the company in 1916 upon his father's death. That same year, the company began production in England to bypass the German WWI blockade of exports to Great Britain and beyond. Facilities in Italy and Germany followed in 1936 during the inter-war period. Further international expansion followed, and the 1970s and 1980s saw a period of acquisition of other firms. In 1991, the Lundbeck Foundation obtained majority control of the company and initiated a major restructuring into a holding company format. Additional growth and consolidation followed, and Chr. Hansen Group was later spun off into a separate, independent company in 2005.

External links

• Official website