Sensient Flavors NA history

In 1983, the company dismantled its snack food division, selling off its cookie and pretzel business.

1984: Universal swaps its soft-drink bottling business for Warner-Jenkinson Company, Inc., thereby gaining entry into the food color and flavor business.

Frozen potato products accounted for nearly 30 percent of the company's revenue for that year; the explosion in sales followed the 1987 introduction of a new curly-shaped, coated fry that proved very successful.

In 1990 Universal got out of the cheese business, selling that division to INVUS Group, Ltd., a subsidiary of the Belgian firm R.T. Holding S.A. By that year, under chair and chief executive Guy Osborn, sales had reached over $873 million.

In October of that year, Kenneth P. Manning was promoted to president and CEO of the company, having served as president and COO since 1992.

That division was enlarged in 1993 through the purchase of Spectrum S.A. de C.V., a major Mexican food color distributor.

In January 1994 Universal boosted its aroma chemicals business with the purchase of Destillaciones Garcia de la Fuente, S.A., based in Granada, Spain.

The emphasis on international growth resulted in a sharp increase in overseas sales: by fiscal 1995, when the company reported sales of $792.9 million, 40 percent of the revenues came from outside the United States--in contrast to the 6 percent figure of eight years earlier.

In early 1997 the company moved into the ink-jet ink market with the purchase of Tricon Colors, Inc., based in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

Three European firms were also acquired in 1998, continuing Universal's rapid expansion on that continent.

Universal Foods recorded net income of $80.1 million on revenue of $920.2 million for the 1999 fiscal year.

The sale of Red Star appeared to have fallen through in late 2000, however, after the United States Justice Department raised antitrust concerns.