Barentz Acquires US-Based Viachem

Barentz announced that it has acquired Viachem, Ltd., a specialty distributor of life science ingredients and specialty chemicals.  By combining a dedicated market research function and digitally enabled sales and marketing capabilities, Viachem represents a market growth engine for Barentz and its principal suppliers. 

The team will continue to be led by Mike Efting, Viachem’s president and founder, and offices will remain in Plano, TX and Augusta, GA. 

“Viachem has developed sales and marketing capabilities that are unique in the industry and we’re thrilled to welcome Mike and his team into the Barentz organization,” said Hidde van der Wal, group CEO of Barentz. “By combining these capabilities with Barentz’ global scale, technical expertise, and extensive digital infrastructure, we see significant opportunity to expand market share for our customers and principal suppliers.” 

“Every successful acquisition begins with the people and we’re excited for what the Viachem team will bring to Barentz,” added Terry Hill, CEO of Barentz North America. “Since its founding, Viachem recognized that our industry is evolving and that best-in-class distributors need to develop new tools and processes in order to evolve in parallel with the industry.  This transaction is a testament to Mike Efting’s strategic vision and how that vision can be accelerated under Barentz.” 

“Our vision at Viachem has always been to change the way chemicals and ingredients are bought and sold,” Efting noted. “When we set out to find the best long-term home for Viachem’s employees, customers, and principals – while remaining true to our vision – we quickly identified that Barentz had all the attributes we were seeking. The entrepreneurial culture, commitment to digital tools, global scale, and a portfolio of synergistic product lines were a few of our requirements and Barentz checked every box. We are excited for what the future holds with Barentz.”