Quest International was a major producer of flavors, fragrances and food ingredients with sales of £560 million in 2005 before its acquisition by rival Givaudan. Quest created and marketed flavours and fragrance concepts and solutions for the fast-moving consumer goods industries. With operations in 31 countries, Quest made ingredients for foods, snacks, beverages, personal care, fine fragrances, and home hygiene products. Quest Flavours and Food Ingredients was headquartered in Naarden, Netherlands; Quest Fragrances was based in Ashford, Kent, UK. Major competitors included Firmenich, Givaudan, International Flavors and Fragrances and Symrise. History Some highlights in the 100-year history of Quest include - 1905 N.V. Chemische Fabriek "Naarden" is established. It is to become widely known simply as "Naarden", the name of the nearby ancient fortress town. In English, the name is Chemical Factory Naarden (CFN). The company starts operations with 14 employees at the site of a former sugar beet factory, making glycerine for South Africa (glycerine was used in a wide range of industries, including explosives, paints, food and drinks). The company soon hit financial problems and for the next few years survives by distilling caraway seeds and other materials for essential oils. The manufacture of aromatic chemicals from which essences and perfume compounds emerged - the basis of the future industry on which the company was to flourish and become today's Quest International. 1908 Willem A van Dorp joins as manager of CFN at the age of 26. He and his son - also named W A van Dorp - were to have a huge impact on the future of the company by adopting more modern approaches to chemistry. 1910 CFN exhibited at a Brussels fair with an ornate display case of products. 1914 At the outbreak of the first world war, CFN produced 5,000 tons of glycerine a year that was to be exported to Britain, which took over the existing contract to South Africa because of the war. Holland was officially neutral during the conflict and CFN survived to expand into additional areas - some successful, some not. It linked up with a dye-making concern with disastrous consequences and the company's financial situation in the 1920s became extremely difficult. 1939 The second world war forces production of glycerine at CFN to a trickle and while times are difficult, the factory concentrates of anti-oxidants which are essential for food preservation. Flavourings and vitamin C are also produced (at