Swiss flavours and fragrances maker Givaudan has reported strong first-quarter sales, with results boosted by the acquisition of Quest International.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Givaudan posted sales of CHF1.05bn (US$1.04bn) for the first quarter in 2008, an increase of 18.3%.


The group’s flavour division recorded sales of CHF563.7m, an increase of 24.3%, excluding the effect of currency exchange.


Regionally, the Swiss group said it saw double-digit growth in many developing markets. Givaudan attributed strong growth in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and India to new partnerships and clients.


Dairy and savoury ingredients performed well in Europe, Africa and the Middle East while its North America businesses performed strongly in the beverage sector, the company said.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

However, in Latin America sales were down, especially in Brazil. Givaudan said this drop was due to the particularly strong results posted for the first quarter of last year.


Looking to the year ahead the company expects its sales to grow in line with the market if the impact of changes to the product portfolio and business divestiture is excluded.


Givaudan added that it hopes to reach the margin levels enjoyed before the Quest acquisition by 2010 and will generate CHF130m in acquisition related savings in 2008.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact