Chr. Hansen

Overview

Chr. Hansen A/S

type	Publicly traded Aktieselskab
traded as	omx: CSE75663 CHR
foundation	1874
defunct	January 29, 2024
fate	Merged with Novozymes
successor	Novonesis
location	Hørsholm, Denmark
key people	Dominique Reiniche (Chair), Mauricio Graber (President and CEO)
industry	Biotechnology
products	microbiological cultures, enzymes, probiotics, Human milk oligosaccharides
revenue	€1,218 million
revenue year	2022
operating income	€326 million
income year	2022
net income	€225 million
net income year	2022
assets	€3,317 million
assets year	2022
equity	€181 million
num employees	3,834
num employees year	2021-2022
footnotes	‡R1R‡‡R2R‡

'''Chr. Hansen A/S''' was a biotechnology company based in Hørsholm, Denmark. The company is a supplier of bacteria cultures, probiotics, enzymes[3] and human milk oligosaccharides. Its products are used in the production of fresh dairy, cheese, meat, seafood, fermented beverages, dairy and meat alternatives, dietary supplements, infant formula, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products.[3] In 2021, Chr. Hansen A/S was ranked 1st on FoodTalks' Top 30 Global Probiotic Food Ingredient Companies list.[4] Chr. Hansen owns one of the world's largest commercial bacteria collections.[3] The company merged with Novozymes to form Novonesis in January 2024.[5][6]

History

The company is named for its founder, Christian D. A. Hansen,[3] a pioneering Danish chemist whose work focused on enzymes. Hansen began the company in 1874 as a joint venture with pharmacist H.P. Madsen.

Initial products included animal rennet for cheese-making[3] as well as annatto-based coloring agents for butter and cheese.[3] Operations in the United States were begun in 1878. Their lines soon expanded to include starter cultures for cheese, yogurt and sour cream. In 1890 Hansen purchased Lock Island in the Mohawk River in Little Falls, New York, for a manufacturing facility, renaming the island "Hansen Island".[8][9][3] Hansen's son Johannes took over the company in 1916 upon his father's death. That same year, the company began production in England[3] to bypass the German blockade of exports to Great Britain and beyond during World War I. Facilities in Italy and Germany followed in 1936[3] during the inter-war period. By 1951, Hansen began production in Australia.[3] Further international expansion in places such as South America followed,[3] and from the 1970s to the 1990s saw a period of acquisition of other firms.[3] The company released its first probiotic in 1987.[3] In 1991, the Lundbeck Foundation obtained majority control of the company and initiated a major restructuring into a holding company format.[3] Additional growth and consolidation followed, and Chr. Hansen Group was spun off into a separate, independent company in May 2005[10][11][12] which allowed the company to focus on long-term growth strategies rather than quarterly goals.[3]

In December 2022, Chr. Hansen started the merger with Novozymes.[13] It is planned to be implemented at the end of 2023. The proposed merger between Novozymes A/S (‘Novozymes') and Christian Hansen A/S (‘Chr. Hansen') is regarded by the European Commission as conditional with the commitments offered by the parties.[14]

The company in June 2023 succumbed to pressure from right-wing religious groups in the US and dropped support to their LGBT+ staff.[15][16] This caused widespread staff protest. Meanwhile, the merger partner Novozymes has maintained its stance as full LGBT+ allies.

In December 2023, it was announced that name of the new company formed as a result of the merger between Chr. Hansen and Novozymes will be Novonesis.[17]

Chr. Hansen

History

Sustainability

External links

References