Givaudan

Givaudan () is a group Suisse specialized in the industry of the Parfumerie.

Givaudan is the largest producer in the world of Arôme S, gasolines and Parfum S with a sales turnover of 2,778 billion Swiss francs in 2005. The company has branches in 40 countries. The direction of the group is located at Vernier in the Canton of Geneva. The direction of the department devoted to the flavors and savor is with Cincinnati in the Ohio. Finally, the seat of the department perfumery is based with Paris.

Gilles Andrier is current chairman of Givaudan. It takes the head of the group in 2004, thus succeeding Jürg Witmer.

Its main competitors are Firmenich, International Flavors and Fragrances and Symrise.

History

The company is founded in 1895 with Zurich by Leon and Xavier Givaudan. In 1898, Givaudan moves in Geneva and builds a factory with Vernier. In 1963, Givaudan is repurchased by Roche. One year later, Roche buys Roure. In 1972 the Givaudan company is blamed in the Affaire of the talc Morhange which killed 36 babies and more than one hundred poisoned some. The few persons in charge condemned after a dilatory procedure were amnestied in 1981 by François Mitterrand, on the council of Robert Badinter which was at the same time lawyer of Givaudan industries (Hoffman it Roche) and Minister for justice coldly in station. In 1976 it is the engine of the chemical plant Icmesa (property of the Givaudan company), located near the small town of Seveso, which lets escape a toxic cloud containing several products badly identified at the time. It is only at the end of four days, when the first cases of chloracne appeared, that the Hoffmann-Laroche laboratories identified the responsible agent, 2,3,7,8 - TCDD, more known product under the name of dioxane of Seveso .

In 1991, Givaudan and Roure are amalgamated to form Givaudan-Roure. In 1997, this new business is bought by Tastemaker based in Cincinnati. In the year 2000, Givaudan-Roure becomes again Givaudan and integrates the Swiss Stock Exchange (code GIVN.VX). The group belongs to SMI. In 2002, the group acquires of MADE, a division of Nestlé specialized in the flavors.

In 2007, Givaudan, announced the acquisition of the perfumes activity and flavors of the British chemist , baptized HERE Quest International. The amount of the transaction was fixed at 1,2 billion books, that is to say some 1,8 billion euros (and 2,8 billion Swiss francs). This integration seriously reduced the benefit of the group to the 1st half of 2007.

Random links: