Newly Weds Foods Inc. has acquired food ingredients manufacturer Witwood Food Products Ltd for an undisclosed sum.The combination of the two businesses - both of which have manufacturing sites in Sydney - will give customers across the globe access to a range of innovative new products and technologies.

Witwoods, which employs 23 people at its Chester Hill site in Sydney, is headquartered in the UK, with additional manufacturing sites in the UK and Thailand, servicing a customer base of more than 250 food processors and manufacturers. Founder, David Osborne, established the company in the UK in 1982 and opened the Sydney operation in 1998. He has since overseen the company's continuing growth into a global business employing 270 people worldwide.

Headquartered in Chicago, USA and with a manufacturing plant in Wetherill Park, Sydney, employing 141 people, Newly Weds Foods is a leader in the production of food coatings, seasonings and functional ingredients for the food processing and foodservice industries. In addition to its site in Australia it has operations in 15 locations across North America as well as manufacturing plants in China, Thailand, the Philippines, Holland and the UK, employing a total of 2700 people.

Newly Weds Foods president, Charles T. Angell, says, "Witwoods is a highly regarded and well respected company in our industry. The firm has a reputation for delivering innovative food coating technologies and we see the potential in taking that technology to our customers around the world."

"In turn, Witwoods' customers will be able to benefit from our complementary capabilities in food coatings as well as seasoning systems and functional ingredients. The product range, corporate values, entrepreneurial spirit and customer-focused culture of our two companies are a perfect match."

"We see the combined business strengthening Newly Weds' position in the global marketplace and creating many growth opportunities. We welcome Witwood Food Products to the Newly Weds Foods family."