• Puratos announces its intention to acquire Dawn Foods, bringing together two complementary portfolios dedicated to professionals in the bakery and confectionery industry.
Chicago, IL, Jackson, MI, and Brussels, Belgium, March 10, 2026
Puratos and Dawn Foods have agreed to sign an agreement under which Puratos proposes to acquire Dawn Foods, a transaction that will be subject to all necessary regulatory approvals.
For over a hundred years, Puratos and Dawn Foods – founded in 1919 and 1920 respectively – have built strong relationships with their customers, based on quality products, a passion for innovation and a people-centric organizational culture. Their evolution has been guided by a long-term vision and a commitment to inspiring professionals in the baking, pastry, confectionery and chocolate industries.
Puratos and Dawn Foods have each developed distinct but perfectly complementary capabilities, addressing professionals in the bakery, confectionery, retail and food industry. Both companies transform consumer information and trends into solutions and ingredients that support customers to innovate and respond more effectively to market demands.
Dawn Foods operates in North America, Europe, AMEAP and Latin America and is widely recognized for its expertise in authentic American baked goods and solutions for applications such as donuts, muffins, cookies and brownies. Its innovation model is based on the development of inspiring finished product concepts, adapted to each season and consumption occasion, and ready-to-implement solutions that help bakeries diversify and optimize their portfolio. In addition, Dawn Foods operates highly efficient production facilities capable of ensuring quality and consistency at scale, supported by a strong distribution network, particularly in North America.
Puratos complements this expertise with its know-how in advanced technologies and ingredients in key areas of bakery, pastry, confectionery and chocolate, such as fermentation processes, yeasts, fermented cereals and seeds or the craftsmanship of classic confectionery-pastry. Its innovative approach is strongly anchored in ingredient technology and long-term research and development programs, transforming food science into differentiating and value-added solutions. The company operates modern production facilities, designed to integrate advanced functionalities and processes tailored to customer needs, serving markets worldwide through an extensive network of local subsidiaries active in 87 countries.
The combination of the two companies would combine two engines of innovation – Dawn Foods’ end-product-oriented creativity and Puratos’ technological approach – as well as two complementary manufacturing models: large-scale and standardized production and flexible and specialized production. In addition, Dawn Foods’ extensive North American distribution would connect with Puratos’ international network.
Through this potential transaction, Puratos could even more effectively respond to the needs of customers looking for both affordable solutions on an industrial scale and innovative products with high technological value, in a wider range of applications and finished products for sweet bakery. The agreement also strengthens both companies' commitment to innovation, food science and people and skills development.
"This agreement marks an essential strategic step for the evolution of Puratos", stated Pierre Tossut, Chief Executive Officer Puratos Group. "Dawn Foods is a partner with a solid reputation and skills that perfectly complement those we already have. Through this initiative, we reaffirm our ambition to expand our global presence and capabilities in an area that we know deeply and in which we have built our success."-over several generations."
Carrie Jones-Barber, Chief Executive Officer of Dawn Foods, said:
"Dawn has become a global company by constantly maintaining its focus on what matters most: our people, our products and the customers we serve. Looking ahead, it was essential for us to identify a partner who shared the same values and the same long-term vision for business development." Like Dawn, Puratos is a family-owned company with a strong heritage and a deep commitment to people, quality and the baking industry.”
Transaction schedule and approvals
The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to all necessary regulatory approvals. Until closing, Puratos and Dawn Foods will remain fully independent companies and will continue to operate separately. There will be no changes to current operations, customer relationships or existing commercial arrangements.
Consultants and authorized intermediaries
JP Morgan is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP is providing legal advice to Puratos.
BMO Capital Markets is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Winston & Strawn LLP is providing legal assistance to Dawn Foods.
Puratos has appointed KBC Bank NV, ING Belgium SA/NV and Bank of America as joint managers and Bookrunning Mandated Lead Arrangers (BMLA) for the financing of this acquisition.
About Puratos
Puratos is an international group that offers a full range of innovative food ingredients and services dedicated to the bakery, pastry, confectionery and chocolate sectors. The company serves artisans, retailers, industrial manufacturers and food service operators in over 100 countries worldwide. The headquarters are in Belgium, where the company was founded in 1919.
Puratos firmly believes that food has an extraordinary power in people's lives and takes this responsibility very seriously. In this spirit, the company aims to support customer success, leveraging technology, global expertise and the diversity of culinary cultures to generate new opportunities. Together with its partners, Puratos contributes to progress by developing innovative food solutions focused on health and well-being.
For more information, visit www.puratos.com.
About Dawn Foods
Dawn Foods, a global manufacturer of bakery products and supplier of ingredients for the bakery industry, has established itself as a reference partner, supporting the success of its customers every day. Committed to providing outstanding experiences to its partners around the world, Dawn Foods provides them with solid partnerships, market insights, innovations, products and bakery expertise, thus contributing to the achievement of their development ambitions.
The company is headquartered in Jackson, Michigan (USA) and collaborates with more than 50.000 artisan bakers and retailers, food service operators and industrial manufacturers in more than 100 countries. Globally, Dawn Foods has nearly 4.000 employees. Since 1920, the company has been a trusted advisor to its customers, supporting them in developing and growing their businesses.
For more information about the company, its products and its organizational culture, visit www.dawnfoods.com
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially depending on the receipt of regulatory approvals and other relevant factors.
Contact us
Puratos:
Philippe Arnauts, Group Communication Director
parnauts@puratos.com, puratos@bdb.co.uk, puratos@hkstrategies.com
Dawn Foods
Alexis Gilbert, Vice President of Brand and Communication
Alexis.Gilbert@dawnfoods.com
Jim Golden, Tali Epstein
Collected Strategies
DawnFoods-CS@collectedstrategies.com
Article source: Press Release
Read on White Art and: Puratos Romania celebrates 30 years and targets 100 million euros in turnover
