Kalle

Kalle GmbH ("The Kalle Group") is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrially produced food-grade casings used primarily for meat products but also vegetarian/vegan foods such as cheese or tofu. The company also produces sponge cloths from renewable resources for household/professional use—including some technical or medical applications—and supplies functional ingredients/flavoring to the broader food industry. Founded in Germany in the mid-nineteenth century with a long history of innovation (notably inventing seamless cellulose sausage casing), it employs about ~1500 people globally. Despite its occasional overlap with technical/medical uses via its cleaning products portfolio—and its location within an industrial park that hosts biotech/pharma companies—Kalle itself should NOT be classified as a life science/biotech/pharmaceutical company. It has no drug discovery/development activities nor any clinical-stage programs. The company was acquired by private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice in April 2016.