Trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Darling International Inc. is America’s leading provider of rendering, recycling, and recovery solutions to the food industry. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, they operate a network of facilities across the United States. The company, with a current market capitalization of $978.96 million, formerly went by the name the Darling-Delaware Company, Inc. They changed their name to Darling International, Inc. in 1993.
The company began in 1882. The Darling family were pioneers in the rendering industry, transforming animal byproducts to begin their business. Still performing the operations today, they further engage in recycling food processing byproducts, which include restaurant cooking oil and byproducts from the beef, pork, and poultry processing industries. Darling recycles these into useable products such as tallow, feed-grade fats, meat and bone meal, and hides.
Darling’s finished products sell in the U.S. and globally. Their research team works with government, industry, and university groups to develop innovative product applications. Darling sells their products to agricultural, leather, oleo-chemical, and bio-diesel manufacturers primarily. Along with their rendering segment, the company also serves the restaurant industry through collecting their used cooking oil. They recycle 100 percent of the oil they collect. In addition, they offer restaurants complete grease-trap service programs, and they sell equipment to restaurants as well.
The company markets their animal protein meals for use as nutritional additives in the feed industry. Their fats and oils find use as ingredients in the production of pet food, animal feed, and soaps. Other products include hides, which they produce for the leather industry. They also manufacture their own line of specialty pet food.
Darling International also has a National Service Center, which offers nationwide service, service management, and online records management through one point of contact available 24/7. This is for their rendering and restaurant chain customers. They also have a high-quality analytical lab in terms of staff and equipment for their rendering segment.
In August, Darling International Inc. announced the completion of their acquisition of most of the assets of API Recycling’s used cooking oil collection business. Darling International Inc. chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Randall Stuewe, said, “We are excited about our acquisition of API’s three facilities in Georgia. These modern facilities will help us continue our strategy of broadening our national footprint in the restaurant services segment.” API Recycling is a division of American Proteins, Inc., and it operated three facilities in the state of Georgia serving surrounding states.
Continually innovating in rendering, recycling, and recovery is what Darling International Inc.’s corporate mission is. They continue to look for ways to grow their business for shareholder value by always seeing value in what others see as waste.
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