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Chr. Hansen

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Chr. Hansen A/S
Company typePublicly traded Aktieselskab
Nasdaq Copenhagen: CHR
ISINDK0060227585 Edit this on Wikidata
IndustryBioscience
Founded1874; 150 years ago (1874)
HeadquartersHørsholm, Denmark
Key people
Dominique Reiniche (Chair), Mauricio Graber (President and CEO)
Productsmicrobiological cultures, enzymes, probiotics, Human milk oligosaccharides
Revenue€1,218 million (2022)
€326 million (2022)
€225 million (2022)
Total assets€3,317 million (2022)
Total equity€181 million
Number of employees
3,834 (2021-2022)
Websitewww.chr-hansen.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3]

Chr. Hansen A/S is a bioscience company based in Hørsholm, Denmark. Since January 2024 together with Novozymes a part of Novonesis.[4] The company is a supplier of bacteria cultures, probiotics, enzymes[1] 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.[1] In 2021, Chr. Hansen A/S was ranked 1st on FoodTalks' Top 30 Global Probiotic Food Ingredient Companies list.[5] Chr. Hansen owns one of the world's largest commercial bacteria collections.[1]

Chr. Hansen A/S has development centers in Denmark, the United States, France and Germany[1] including research facilities in Denmark and France. A large percentage of the employees engage in research and development for the international food and pharmaceuticals industries.

Chr. Hansen A/S has five main production sites: two in Denmark and Germany (Nienburg and Pohlheim) and one each in France (Arpajon) and the US (West Allis, Milwaukee, WI) and an international presence in 30 countries.[6][1] It has been listed on Nasdaq OMX Copenhagen since June 3, 2010, under the symbol "CHR".

History

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The company is named for its founder, Christian D. A. Hansen,[1] a pioneering Danish chemist whose work focused on enzymes.[7] Hansen began the company in 1874[7] as a joint venture with pharmacist H.P. Madsen.

Initial products included animal rennet for cheese-making[7][1] as well as annatto-based coloring agents for butter and cheese.[1] Operations in the United States were begun in 1878.[7] 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][1] Hansen's son Johannes took over the company in 1916 upon his father's death. That same year, the company began production in England[1] to bypass the German blockade of exports to Great Britain and beyond during World War I. Facilities in Italy and Germany followed in 1936[1] during the inter-war period. By 1951, Hansen began production in Australia.[1] Further international expansion in places such as South America followed,[1] and from the 1970s to the 1990s saw a period of acquisition of other firms.[1] The company released its first probiotic in 1987.[1] In 1991, the Lundbeck Foundation obtained majority control of the company and initiated a major restructuring into a holding company format.[1] Additional growth and consolidation followed, and Chr. Hansen Group was spun off into a separate, independent company in May 2005[10][11][7] which allowed the company to focus on long-term growth strategies rather than quarterly goals.[1]

In December 2022, Chr. Hansen started the merger with Novozymes.[12] 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.[13]

The company in June 2023 succumbed to pressure from right-wing religious groups in the US and dropped support to their LGBT+ staff.[14][15] This caused widespread staff protest. Meanwhile, the merger partner Novozymes has maintained its stance as full LGBT+ allies.

Sustainability

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Chr. Hansen began looking for healthier meat alternatives in the mid-1970s due to rising problems within the chicken and meat industry.[1] In 2019 Chr. Hansen was ranked as the most sustainable company in the world. The ranking was given by the Canadian business and society magazine Corporate Knights and was announced at the World Economics Forum in Davos, Switzerland.[16]

In November 2021, Chr. Hansen launched climate targets for 2030 and began to reduce its carbon footprint in an effort to meet those targets.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Johnson, Drew D., ed. (2017). "Chr. Hansen Group A/S". International Directory of Company Histories. Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Chr. Hansen Annual Report 2021|22. - Document - Gale Business: Insights". go.gale.com. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  3. ^ "NASDAQ Company Fact Sheet - Chr. Hansen Holding A/S". NASDAQ Copenhagen. 11 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ^ Wihlander, Beatrice (19 December 2022). "Chr. Hansen and Novozymes write history as Denmark's largest merger, scaling up production". Nutrition Insight. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  5. ^ Zhao, Viola (2021-04-20). "2021年全球食用益生菌原料企业30强". FoodTalks (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  6. ^ "Annual Report 2020/2021" (PDF). Chr. Hansen. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e Nicolai J. Foss; Torben Pedersen; Jacob Pyndt; Majken Schultz (January 12, 2012). Innovating Organization and Management: New Sources of Competitive Advantage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 140–157. ISBN 978-1-107-01105-2. OCLC 732967810.
  8. ^ "History: Hansen Island". Chr. Hansen. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  9. ^ "Little Falls Waterways". Little Falls Historical Society Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  10. ^ "The History of Chr. Hansen: the first 140 years". Chr. Hansen. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Chr. Hansen Group A/S History". FundingUniverse. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  12. ^ "Combination between Novozymes and Chr. Hansen approved by Novozymes' shareholders". GlobeNewswire News Room. 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  13. ^ "Commission clears Novozymes and Chr. Hansen merger, subject to conditions". European Commission. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  14. ^ Nielsen, Joacim Præst (2023-06-26). "Chr. Hansen fjerner støtte til lgbt+-miljøet efter pres". borsen.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  15. ^ Hamilton, Ben (2023-06-27). "Top Danish company hugely criticised for withdrawing support for Pride due to US threats". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  16. ^ Eisenberg, Peter B. Rasmussen og Erik (22 January 2019). "To danske virksomheder topper listen over verdens mest bæredygtige firmaer: Se listen her". borsen.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Chr. Hansen launches science-based climate targets and embarks on a focused decarbonization journey". Chr. Hansen. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
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