Sisterna

What Sisterna does

Sisterna B.V. is a specialty ingredients company founded in 1992 as a joint venture between DKS Co. Ltd. (Japan) and Royal Cosun (Netherlands), headquartered in Roosendaal, Netherlands. The company imports and distributes DKS-produced sucrose esters—natural, non-ionic emulsifiers (E473) derived from sucrose and fatty acids from palm and coconut oil—into Europe and North America. Its portfolio spans HLB values from 1 to 16 across roughly 14 SKUs, addressing food applications (bakery, confectionery, dairy and desserts, emulsions) and personal care applications (O/W and W/O emulsions, gel-to-milk systems, mild cleansing, anhydrous systems). Sisterna's products are differentiated by a water-based purification process achieving >90% mono-ester purity versus the 80% regulatory minimum, and by a dense certification stack (RSPO Mass Balance, COSMOS, Natrue, NPA, Kosher, Halal, ISO 9001/14001, FSSC 22000).

The business model is asset-light import and distribution. Sisterna operates with a four-person technical team supported by the Cosun Innovation Center and Matis Specialties for application development, and outsells exclusively through a network of exclusive distributors covering more than 35 countries in Europe, North America, and selected emerging markets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set per grade and per order by exclusive distributors. A warehouse in Roosendaal maintains at least three months of stock. The company has no public funding, no M&A history, and no disclosed revenue. Its brand is anchored by 30+ years of category presence, an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating (top 1% globally, 2024), and a positioning around natural, vegan, and clean-label ingredient credentials.

Name

Sisterna

Legal name

Sisterna B.V.

Website

https://sisterna.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sisterna B.V. imports and distributes DKS Co. Ltd.'s sucrose esters—natural, non-ionic emulsifiers with HLB 1–16—for food and personal care formulators across 35+ countries via exclusive distributors. Founded 1992 in the Netherlands as a DKS–Royal Cosun joint venture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food & Personal Care Ingredients

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sucrose Esters & Polyglycerol Esters (PGE) (AFAJACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emulsifiers & Stabilizer Systems (Lecithin, Mono/Diglycerides, Blends) (CRADAOAE)

Keywords

• Sucrose esters
• Food emulsifiers
• Personal care emulsifiers
• Non-ionic surfactants
• Specialty food ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Roosendaal

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sucrose Ester Product Sales: Sisterna imports sucrose esters of DKS Co. Ltd. into the Netherlands where they are stored and distributed. Products are sold through an exclusive distributor network across Europe and North America, covering more than 35 countries. Revenue is generated from the sale of various sucrose ester grades (PS750, SP70, SP50, SP30, SP01, SP10) for food and personal care applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sisterna is a specialty ingredients company that imports and distributes sucrose esters (E473) and sucrose oligo esters manufactured by its parent company DKS Co. Ltd. of Japan. The company supplies high-purity (>90%) sucrose ester powders and liquid emulsifier blends spanning HLB values from 1 to 16, sold to food manufacturers (bakery, confectionery, dairy, emulsions) and personal care/cosmetics formulators (skincare, haircare, cleansing systems) across Europe and North America via an exclusive distributor network covering 35+ countries.

Product overview

Sisterna is a specialty ingredients company that produces and distributes sucrose esters (E473) and sucrose oligo esters as high-quality, non-ionic emulsifiers. The product portfolio spans two main segments: Food applications (Sisterna PS750, SP70, SP50, SP30, and F20W sucrose oligo ester) and Personal Care applications (Sisterna PS750-C, L70-C, SP70-C, SP50-C, SP30-C, SP10-C, SP01-C, and A10E-C). The products range from HLB 1 to 16, enabling use as emulsifiers, surfactants, lipidic phase modifiers, and aerators across bakery, confectionery, dairy, emulsions, and cosmetic formulations. Products are distributed through an exclusive global distributor network across more than 35 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sisterna PS750 (Food Grade) High HLB (16) sucrose ester powder with 75% mono-ester content, used as an oil-in-water emulsifier with starch interaction, protein interaction, sugar crystallisation, anti-stickiness, and anti-microbial properties in food applications.
• Sisterna SP70 (Food Grade) High HLB (15) sucrose ester powder with 70% mono-ester content, used as an oil-in-water emulsifier in food applications including bakery, confectionery, and dairy products.
• Sisterna SP50 (Food Grade) Medium HLB (11) sucrose ester powder with 50% mono-ester content, used for emulsification and sugar crystallisation control in confectionery and bakery applications.
• Sisterna SP30 (Food Grade) Low-medium HLB (6) sucrose ester powder with 30% mono-ester content, used for emulsification in food applications.
• Sisterna F20W (Sucrose Oligo Ester) Sucrose oligo ester used as a lubricant for tabletting in pharmaceutical and confectionery applications. Not permitted in food in Europe.
• Sisterna PS750-C (Personal Care) High HLB (16) sucrose palmitate for personal care emulsifier applications.
• Sisterna L70-C (Personal Care) Liquid emulsifier/surfactant blend (Aqua, Sucrose Laurate, Alcohol) with HLB 15, suitable for transparent formulations and mild cleansing systems.
• Sisterna SP70-C (Personal Care) High HLB (15) sucrose stearate for personal care O/W emulsifier applications.
• Sisterna SP50-C (Personal Care) Medium HLB (11) sucrose stearate for personal care emulsifier applications.
• Sisterna SP30-C (Personal Care) Low HLB (6) sucrose distearate for W/O emulsifier and co-emulsifier applications in personal care.
• Sisterna SP10-C (Personal Care) Very low HLB (2) sucrose polystearate for W/O emulsifier and anhydrous system applications.
• Sisterna SP01-C (Personal Care) Very low HLB (1) sucrose polystearate for W/O emulsifier and anhydrous system applications.
• Sisterna A10E-C (Personal Care) Sucrose tetrastearate triacetate used as a lipidic phase modifier for thickening/gelling oils and silicone oils, improving rheological and sensorial properties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sugar crystallisation: ultra fine crystal matrix, whiter and smoother appearance, reduced cracking and white spots
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DKS Co. Ltd. (Japan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1992DKS Co. Ltd. (Japan) is the mother company and exclusive producer of Sisterna sucrose esters. Sisterna was established in 1992 as a joint venture of DKS Co. Ltd. and Royal Cosun (Netherlands). DKS produces sucrose esters of fatty acids at its Shiga Branch facility, which is ISO 14001:2015 and FSSC 22000:2013 certified. Sisterna imports and distributes DKS's sucrose esters in Europe and North America under the 'Sisterna' brand. DKS facilities are approved as RSPO Mass Balance and Segregation supply chain. The unique production method at DKS uses minimum solvents with water purification, achieving >90% purity.
• Royal Cosun (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Royal Cosun (Netherlands) is a joint venture partner with DKS Co. Ltd. in establishing Sisterna in 1992. All applications are developed in cooperation with Cosun innovation center and Matis Specialties, providing specialists and equipment for numerous applications.
• Cosun Innovation CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll applications are developed in cooperation with Cosun innovation center, which provides specialists and equipment for numerous food and personal care applications.
• Matis Specialties (Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll applications are developed in cooperation with Matis Specialties, which provides specialists and equipment for numerous applications. Listed as a personal care distributor for Belgium.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Croda International: Leading specialty ingredients supplier to the personal care industry, offering emulsifiers, surfactants and actives with a strong natural ingredients portfolio. Competes with Sisterna's personal care sucrose ester range while serving a much broader portfolio.
• Evonik: Specialty chemicals company with a personal care and cosmetics ingredients portfolio including emulsifiers and surfactants. Competes with Sisterna in PEG-free and natural personal care emulsification but with a much broader portfolio across multiple chemistry platforms.
• Stepan Company: Specialty surfactant and emulsifier manufacturer with personal care and food ingredient segments. Competes with Sisterna in non-ionic emulsifiers and surfactants but with a broader synthetic and natural portfolio.
• Corbion: Food ingredients and biochemicals specialist with emulsifier and preservation solutions for bakery, confectionery and dairy. Competes with Sisterna across multiple food applications using different ingredient platforms such as lactic acid and alginates.
• Kerry Group: Taste and nutrition ingredients major with emulsifier and functional food ingredient capabilities across bakery, dairy, meat and beverages. Overlaps with Sisterna's food applications through complementary ingredient platforms.
• Lonza: Personal care and specialty ingredients supplier with emulsifiers, actives and preservation systems. Competes with Sisterna's personal care sucrose ester range in cosmetic formulation contexts across Europe and globally.
• IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances): Global ingredients major (post DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences merger) producing food emulsifiers, textures and functional ingredients. Overlaps with Sisterna across food emulsifier categories including natural and clean-label solutions.
• BASF: Global specialty chemicals incumbent producing a broad portfolio of food and personal care emulsifiers, including natural and synthetic options. Overlaps with Sisterna across many applications but does not specialize in sucrose esters.

Direct peers

• Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation: Produces Ryoto sugar esters (sucrose esters) at scale, making it the closest direct competitor to Sisterna in the sucrose ester category globally. Competes head-to-head across food and personal care applications with similar HLB-range positioning.
• Palsgaard: Danish specialty emulsifier and stabilizer manufacturer producing food-grade emulsifiers including mono/diglycerides and specialty blends. Competes with Sisterna across bakery, confectionery, dairy and emulsion applications in Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/250378

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sisterna