Dümmen Orange Update: New Owners, New CEO

Chris Beytes

In late May, it was announced that BC Partners, the current majority shareholders of Dutch-German breeding company Dümmen Orange, has worked a deal with a group of current lenders to take over the business. The new owner group includes ICG, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Neuberger Berman, Tresidor and Triton Debt Opportunities. BC Partners will remain a minority investor. They’d been the majority shareholder of the business since 2015, after acquiring the business from the Dümmen family and investor H2 Equity Partners.

Quoting the press release, “As part of the deal, the new owners will provide additional financing to deliver a de-levered and sustainable balance sheet. A substantial injection of new capital will provide a solid financial platform for achieving Dümmen Orange’s ambitious objectives in the coming years.”

What’s that mean? Well, based on recent conversations with Dümmen Orange COO Perry Wismans about Dümmen’s divestiture of some of its recently acquired breeding companies, those “ambitious objectives” mean focusing on their core competencies and strategies: breeding high-quality products, ensuring the best production quality of starter material from their farms and focusing on distribution in North America.

To further that goal, Dümmen has appointed Anthony Christiaanse as its new Chief Executive Officer. Anthony succeeds Hugo Noordhoek Hegt, who’s held the position since 2019. Hugo will remain a member of the supervisory board.

Anthony joined Dümmen Orange as a member of its Executive Committee in January. Before that, he worked in senior roles for leading international companies such as Unilever, Chiquita, Aviko and Vion. His career in the food and agricultural industry spans more than 30 years.

Additionally, Carola de Bie has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer after serving as Dümmen Orange’s Head of Group Control. After five years as CFO, Arjan Kaaks has decided to leave the company and pursue other opportunities. GT