By that time, the company, mainly by virtue of its acquisition of Stella, controlled about 20 percent of the nation's aged Italian cheese market. It also controlled 12 percent of the market for industrial yeast, and 30 percent of the chili powder and paprika production. In September Universal was stunned by the murder of Russell Wirth.
August K. Bergenthal, Bruno's son, was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment he was paroled in It seemed that the younger Bergenthal harbored longstanding resentment regarding the events that led to his father's exit from the company's presidency. Universal continued to grow steadily in the s. Two areas the company moved into heavily during the s were soft-drink bottling and gourmet foods.
Universal acquired the bottling franchises for 7-Up and other beverages in a number of states, starting with Michigan. The company entered the gourmet foods market with the acquisition of Lankor International Inc. In , John Murray was elected president of Universal Foods. Foote, like his predecessor Wirth, stayed on as chairperson. In , production began on a line of imitation cheeses.
The cheese product was made from vegetable oil at costs that were 30 to 40 percent lower than those of the real item. In , Universal purchased Rogers Foods, Inc. The early s brought the expansion of the company's bottling operations, including the addition of the St. In , the company bought out one of its longstanding competitors, the Federal Yeast Company, solidifying its position as a major player in the yeast business.
By , three of Universal's five divisions--cheese, beverages, and fermentation--were together accounting for about three-fourths of the company's sales, each providing about a quarter of the total.
Over the next couple years, Universal chose to narrow its focus somewhat. In , the company dismantled its snack food division, selling off its cookie and pretzel business. The following year, Universal left the bottling business, essentially trading it for entry into the food color and flavor business. As the s approached, Universal removed itself from a couple of the markets in which it had been operating.
In , the company divested its import division, which consisted of Rema Foods and Gourmet Products. Holding S. Frozen potato products accounted for nearly 30 percent of the company's revenue for that year; the explosion in sales followed the introduction of a new curly-shaped, coated fry that proved very successful.
Meanwhile, the late s also saw Universal fend off a hostile takeover bid. High Voltage Engineering Corp. High Voltage was controlled by New York investors, and the takeover attempts were made in partnership with S. Berisford PLC, a U. The hostile pursuit of Universal ended up in federal court, where High Voltage contended that Wisconsin's takeover law, which included statutes that protected the targeted party in a hostile takeover offer, was unconstitutional.
In May a federal appeals court ruled that the law was in fact constitutional, and several months later the U. Supreme Court refused to take up the case, prompting High Voltage to abandon its bid.
In April , Universal became a major force in the flavor market with the acquisition of the British flavoring producer Felton International. Another flavor company, Fantasy Flavors, an Illinois dairy flavoring company, was acquired the following year. Also in , Universal purchased the food, drug, and cosmetic color business of Morton International, Inc. Universal reported record sales in , in spite of an off year for the frozen potato business as a potato glut led to depressed pricing.
The color division made a particularly strong showing in , emerging as the market leader among North American companies in that field. That division was enlarged in through the purchase of Spectrum S. In January Universal boosted its aroma chemicals business with the purchase of Destillaciones Garcia de la Fuente, S.
This acquisition gave Universal entry into new areas of the aroma sector, such as fragrances used in personal care products and detergents. Continuing its shift in emphasis to food ingredients and other specialty chemicals, Universal sold its frozen food unit in August to ConAgra, Inc.
The proceeds were used in part to fund an acquisition spree that further expanded the firm's ingredients operations. During Universal acquired the Biolux Group of Belgium, maker of flavor enhancers, nutritional ingredients, and other products derived from brewer's yeast; and Champlain Industries Limited, which was based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and produced flavorings and flavor enhancers.
Universal became the largest vegetable dehydrator in Europe by purchasing three European dehydrated vegetable processors in and Mallow Foods of Ireland, Silva Laon of France, and the Dutch firm Top Foods.
Universal thereby gained a European counterpart to its U. According to Sensient, the acquisition of Flavor Solutions will expand its flavor portfolio through the expansion of its traditional flavor offering as well as the addition of savory reaction flavors, natural shelf-life extender technologies, and additional sweetness-enhancing and salt-reduction taste-modulation technology platforms.
The acquisition of Flavor Solutions continues a refocus for Sensient, which two years ago announced plans to divest its inks, fruit preparation and fragrance business lines in order to reduce debt and use proceeds to acquire businesses in core focus areas, including food colors, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, finished flavors, extracts and natural ingredients.
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