Buhler acquires majority stake in G.W. Barth AG

Uzwil (CH) and Freiberg (D), November 23, 2007 – The Swiss Buhler Technology Group has
retroactively acquired a majority stake in the German company G.W. Barth AG with effect from
July 1, 2007. G. W. Barth AG, a system supplier to the confectionery and food industries, provides
services, equipment, production installations, and turnkey factories especially for the
treatment and processing of cocoa and nuts.

The company thus ideally supplements the Buhler portfolio. G.W. Barth will be integrated as Buhler Barth in the Buhler Chocolate & Cocoa business unit. The current site of G.W. Barth in the German city of Freiberg will be retained and be developed into a joint center of competence.

The shareholders of G.W. Barth AG have sold Buhler 51 percent of their shares to ensure the future
prosperity of the company.

Under their management, the company has established a leading technology
and market position in the past 27 years in the field of cocoa and nut processing.

Günter Daiss will remain a member of the Buhler Barth board with supervisory and controlling functions. With this acquisition of Barth, the Buhler Chocolate & Cocoa business unit is strengthening its activities in the cocoa and nut business.

With its NARS proprietary process (Nibs-Alkalizing-Roasting-Sterilizing), which it launched in 1975, Barth is one of the world’s leading suppliers of roasting process technology and the related systems and equipment.

The company’s customers benefit from a completely equipped engineering laboratory for product development in the areas of cocoa and nut processing.

This acquisition allows the know-how of the Buhler Chocolate & Cocoa business unit and of Barth in the treatment of cocoa beans to be bundled.

A joint Buhler Barth center of competence will be set up at the current site of G.W. Barth. The research & development, sales, and engineering departments as well as manufacturing will be retained in Freiberg and be further expanded.

G.W. Barth AG was established by Georg Wilhelm Barth in Ludwigsburg in 1890. The company supplies machinery, processing systems, and turnkey factories to the confectionery and food processing industries, especially for the treatment and processing of cocoa and nuts. G.W. Barth has about 70 employees and generated sales (turnover) of over EUR 25 million.

Buhler is a global process technology leader, in particular in the field of production technologies for
making foods and engineering materials. Buhler is active in over 140 countries and has a total global
payroll of about 6,600. In fiscal 2006, the Group generated sales of CHF 1613 million.