Debro Acquires Tartan Color and Chemical

Debro announced that it has acquired Tartan Color & Chemical, a Canadian distributor primarily focused on the industrial specialties markets. The transaction makes Debro one of the leading independent distributors in Canada for industrial specialties, food ingredients and home and personal care. 

Debro is acquiring 100 percent of the shares of Tartan, and the two companies will be amalgamated.

Tartan was founded by Robert Houston in 1980, and was joined by his son David in 1989 following his graduation from Indiana University Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry.

In 2001, David became president of Tartan and under his successful leadership, the company has become one of the best-known industrial specialties distributors in Canada.

He  has made a long-term commitment to Debro and will be a significant investor of the joint enterprise going forward. His role will be president, industrial specialties.
 
“We are excited to welcome David and the Tartan team to Debro,” Debro CEO Bill Heise said. “It was obvious very early in our discussions that the combined strengths of Debro and Tartan would create tremendous opportunities to grow our Industrial Specialties business, offer greater value to our supplier partners and provide a broader product portfolio for our customers”.
 
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Debro team and am confident that this transaction will provide an exciting opportunity for Tartan’s employees, suppliers and customers,’” Houston added. “I believe that this merger provides a perfect fit for Tartan and provides an excellent platform for further growth.”