April 5, 2022 – Primient, which was established as the result of Tate & Lyle selling a controlling stake in its Primary Products business in North America and Latin America to KPS Capital Partners, enters the global food and industrial ingredients markets with a strong portfolio of proven products and trusted application expertise across the food, beverage, paper, packaging, personal care, apparel, and animal nutrition industries.
Primient was established as the result of Tate & Lyle PLC (“Tate & Lyle”) selling a controlling stake in its Primary Products business in North America and Latin America to KPS Capital Partners, LP (“KPS”). The new privately held company is majority-owned and controlled by KPS, while Tate & Lyle retains a minority stake.
Primient Decatur, located at 2200 E. Eldorado Street in Decatur, is one of six industrial plants in North America and Latin America and serves as an active community partner, dedicated to supporting local programs and organizations that are vital to the economic health of the area and improving essential services for all community members. Primient Decatur employs more than 500 people and produces the company’s core range of corn-based ingredients.
The company has a proud legacy in agricultural entrepreneurship grounded in the ingenuity of agriculture pioneer and legend, A.E. Staley.
“Our journey started more than 100 years ago when A.E. Staley founded the A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company in Decatur, Illinois,” Primient Chief Executive Officer Jim Stutelberg said. “And we are excited to be writing the next chapters of our story as Primient, which is well-positioned to make a positive impact in the industries we serve – for our colleagues, customers, and local communities.”
Michael Psaros, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of KPS, said, “Over the past several months KPS and Tate & Lyle have worked closely together to establish Primient as an independent enterprise. Primient is now poised for success as a leading, independent, and focused manufacturer of critical corn-derived ingredients for both food and industrial markets. We look forward to working closely with Primient’s management team to improve the new company’s assets and operations, accelerate the company’s organic growth initiatives and pursue synergistic acquisitions.”
The Primient portfolio includes expertise and solutions across a wide range of application areas including:
- Acidulants – adding lasting taste, stabilization, and balance in products like foods and beverages
- Animal Nutrition – developing animal feeds with high quality energy and nutrients to ensure animals have the nutrition they need to perform
- Industrial Starches – corn-derived starches and adhesives that provide superior functionality and support across paper, packaging, and building applications
- Personal Care additives – a range of products designed to give personal care formulators a variety of bio-based options
- Sweeteners – providing excellent taste and functionality across applications from beverages and dairy to bakery, confectionary, snacks and more
Primient employs more than 1,500 colleagues and operates six industrial plants in North America and Latin America and has an interest in two joint ventures.
