Corbion

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Corbion N.V. is a Dutch company based in Amsterdam that makes bio-based food ingredients and biochemicals, including lactic acid and related products, for the food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.

The company started in 1919 as Centrale Suiker Maatschappij (CSM), a sugar producer. Over the decades it grew through acquisitions and became a major supplier of sugar in Europe. In the 2000s, CSM shifted its focus from sugar to food ingredients and biochemicals.

In 2013, the bakery part of the business was sold to Rhône Capital, and the company was renamed Corbion, concentrating on Purac (lactic acid) and Caravan Ingredients. Key milestones include the 2000 acquisition of Unilever’s bakery ingredients division and the 2010 purchase of Best Brands in the United States.

Corbion has expanded into bioplastics and algae-based ingredients. It built a lactide plant in Thailand (completed around 2011) to produce materials for polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics. In 2016, it formed a 50/50 joint venture with Total to create Total Corbion PLA, with a 75,000-ton-per-year PLA plant in Rayong, Thailand, starting up in 2018.

The company broadened its portfolio further by acquiring TerraVia (Solazyme) in 2017 to add algae-based ingredients, including omega-3 products, and Granotec do Brasil in 2019 to strengthen its position in Latin America.