CSM Extends US Presence By Acquiring Best Brands Corp.

CHICAGO — CSM, Bakery Supplies North America, announces the newest addition
to the growing bakery portfolio of its US division. Best Brands of Minnetonka,
MN will join the entire CSM family of companies. Currently one of the largest
bakery supply companies in the world, CSM is now positioned to provide customers
the ultimate selection in premium bakery products.

The acquisition of Best Brands brings unparalleled product depth to the
organization while complementing the customer service commitment of CSM
globally. The combined sales of Bakery Supplies North America will be in excess
of $2.3 Billion. Best Brands has a leading position in value-added frozen
products sold to in-store bakeries, which are complimentary to CSM’s HC Brill
product and customer portfolio, and is well positioned in segments and product
categories that CSM BSNA has targeted for future growth.

Commenting on the acquisition, Bret Weaver, President of HC Brill said:

“I am very excited about the prospect of Best Brands joining forces with CSM and
Brill. Both organizations have a tremendous passion for the baking industry and
both operate under a highly service and performance oriented culture.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory review and expected to be completed in
March 2010.

About Best Brands:

Best Brands is one of the largest premium bakery manufactures in the US market,
being committed to providing high quality innovative products and services to
the baking industry. Their broad product portfolio includes laminated dough,
cakes, muffins, fillings and mixes. Best Brands has a leading position in
value-added frozen products sold to in-store bakeries. Furthermore, Best Brands
serves food service customers and retail and wholesale bakeries through its
three distribution centers. Best Brands also goes to market with the well-known
Multifoods brand. The company has 6 major production facilities across the
United States, and is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Best Brands was
founded in 1971 and has a workforce of 1,580 people. For more information:
www.bestbrandscorp.com.

About CSM

CSM is the largest supplier of bakery products worldwide and is global market
leader in lactic acid and lactic acid derivatives. CSM produces and distributes
an extensive range of bakery products and ingredients for artisan and industrial
bakeries and for in-store as well as out-of-home markets.

It also produces a variety of lactic acid applications for the food, chemical
and pharmaceutical industries. CSM operates in business-to-business markets
throughout Europe, North America, South America, and Asia, generates annual
sales of euro 2.6 billion and has a workforce of around 8,450 employees in 25
countries. CSM is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information:
www.csmglobal.com.

Source:

CSM Bakery Supplies North America