Barentz International, a life science ingredients distributor, recently announced that it has acquired Distribuciones Industriales Variadas, S.A. — or Divsa — a Central America distributor of life science ingredients and specialty chemicals.
Barentz says with its locations across Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, Divsa represents the ideal fit to bridge Barentz’ presence in North and South America. The team will continue to be led by Mario Mena, Divsa president and founder, and the headquarters will remain in Guatemala City.
According to the companies, highlights of the acquisition include:
- Dedicated commercial and technical teams serving targeted end-markets such as personal care, flavors and fragrances, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, coatings, and polyurethanes
- Value-add operational services, including in-house blending, repackaging and transportation assets, combined to offer customers unmatched service-levels
- Multiple in-house laboratories and technical service teams that complement Barentz’ global network of more than 30 laboratories across four continents
- A portfolio of blue-chip product lines that provides the opportunity for further expansion of strategic supplier relationships
“Divsa has an impressive track record of delivering results for its key stakeholders, and we are excited to leverage our combined capabilities to create better solutions that enable sustained success for our customers, principals and employees across LATAM,” said Hidde van der Wal, CEO of Barentz.
Mario Mena, president of Divsa, added: “From the beginning, our goal was to establish Divsa as a scalable, differentiated distributor that would be a sustainable home for our employees, customers, and suppliers. Given Barentz’ global footprint, entrepreneurial culture, and proven track record of successful partnerships with independent businesses, I saw a combination with Barentz as the best way to ensure and continue Divsa’s mission long into the future.”