Biobest acquires ownership of Beneficial Insectary Inc of California

Date:12-01-2020

Beneficial Insectary Inc., North America’s largest independent producer of beneficial insects and mites, and Biobest Group NV, a leading global player in biocontrol and pollination Monday jointly announced that Biobest Group NV – through its subsidiary Biobest USA, Inc. - has acquired all shares in Beneficial Insectary from the Company’s owner Ms. Sinthya Penn.

Sinthya Penn acquired Beneficial Insectary in 1986 when it was still a small fly parasite producer. The company first built a leading position in fly biocontrol with various applications in animal husbandry. In recent years, it grew exponentially in biological crop protection to become the largest local producer in the USA.

Sinthya comments: “I am grateful to Beneficial Insectary’s production and business teams who have worked hand in hand to achieve this outstanding result and to our distributors and growers who count on us as the most reliable local producer and supplier of high quality beneficials. After decades of serving the bio-control industry, it is the right time for me to transfer ownership. I am extremely grateful to Biobest because they made a strong commitment to continuity and further growth in Redding and our values are well aligned. I have full confidence in a smooth transition. Beneficial Insectary’s management team is ready for the task and thanks to the cooperation with Biobest on R&D and Operations we will be able to further develop the company and offer our customers a broad range of locally produced solutions at competitive conditions.”

Jean-Marc Vandoorne, CEO of Biobest Group NV: “I feel privileged that Biobest has been given the opportunity to take over Beneficial Insectary. This is a significant step for us. The transaction fits perfectly well with our strategy to be the most reliable global supplier to growers in high value crops for their biocontrol and pollination needs. Together with Beneficial Insectary we will occupy a leading position in the North American market for biocontrol, a market which is forecasted to deliver record growth figures in the years to come. This acquisition also strengthens our commercial presence along the West Coast providing a springboard for even better technical support. The combination of Beneficial Insectary and our existing facilities in Canada and Mexico gives us an unrivalled production base in North America whereby we will be able to provide high quality locally produced products to all our North-American customers.

The commercial strategy and distribution model of Beneficial Insectary and Biobest USA are highly complementary. Both companies will keep their identity, operate autonomously and will continue to supply their respective customer base. Focus will be on realizing operational synergies in order to secure reliable supply of locally produced beneficials. I am confident about the transition, since both Beneficial Insectary as Biobest have a capable and high-performing team.”

Cliff Noorlander, CEO of Beneficial Insectary: “It has been great to work with Sinthya and to see the traction for our offering of natural solutions for pest control. The collaboration with Biobest gives us a platform to continue to build success for years to come: our production base, our commercial strategy and our trusted brand will all remain in place. Biobest’s complementary production programs in North America will further enhance our reliability. Biobest also offers us access to a world-class R&D program and a strong innovation pipeline. This is the time for a big thank you to Sinthya and the entire Beneficial Insectary team for what we could do together and a thumbs-up to Biobest for our joint future.”