Universal Completes Acquisition of Shank’s

Universal Corp. has completed its previously announced acquisition of Shank’s Extracts, a privately held, specialty ingredient, flavoring and food company with bottling and packaging capabilities.

The acquisition expands Universal’s plant-based ingredients platform, adding to the company’s product offerings and growing the value-added services available to its customers by adding flavors, custom packaging and bottling, and product development capabilities. 

Shank’s has a strong presence within the flavoring, extracts and bottling marketplace, with significant vanilla expertise, according to Universal Corp. In addition to pure vanilla extract products, Shank’s offers a portfolio of over 2,400 other extracts, distillates, natural flavors and colors for industrial and private label customers worldwide.

Shank’s employs more than 200 people and has a 191,000-square-foot manufacturing campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.