ArcticSource1, a specialty distributor for marine ingredients, has entered into an agreement to acquire Norwegian Chitosan, a division of VA-Support. The agreement includes all marine ingredient customers and existing products and will be effective Jan. 1, 2014.

“Norwegian Chitosan was suddenly in play and we acted on the opportunity to solidify our position within marine ingredients,” said Jan Haakonsen, sales and marketing director of ArcticSource1. “We look forward to get to know the existing chitosan customers and bring the products into new segments of the market.”

“Norwegian Chitosan is a great little company, but does not fit into our strategic future,” said VA-Support owner Tor Kristian Håkonsen. “It was important for us to find an owner that would take good care of our existing customers while positioned to grow the business into new markets and ArcticSource1 represents a perfect match.”

Chitosan is commonly used as a cosmetics ingredient, weight management supplement and as a preservative in the food and supplement industry.