Mallet & Company: Federal Court Permanently Bans Bundy Baking Solutions from Selling Release Agent Products Derived from Stolen Mallet Trade Secrets

Mallet & Company announces that Bundy Baking and its affiliate, Synova, must destroy all material that makes reference to Mallet's formulas, processes, methods, and other proprietary information; Mallet granted comprehensive audit rights for four years to ensure no current or planned Synova products violate the injunction

DEERFIELD, Ill., Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In the latest in a series of sharply worded post-trial rulings against Bundy Baking Solutions and its affiliate, Synova, related to the theft of trade secrets from competitor Mallet & Company, a federal district court judge in Pittsburgh permanently prohibits Bundy Baking from selling "any product derived from Mallet's trade secrets," as well as "any product with a substantially similar formula" to Mallet's market-leading baking release agents.

In furtherance of the injunction, Chief Judge Cathy Bissoon of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ordered that Bundy and Synova must turn over to Mallet, and then destroy, all copies of information that includes references to trade secrets taken from Mallet. Moreover, for a period of four years, Mallet may conduct comprehensive audits, including—as stated in the judge's order— audits of all batch records for any Synova product that has a substantially similar formula to the relevant Mallet products, "and/or any product derived from Mallet's Trade Secrets."

According to the Judge's order, Mallet's audit rights extend to Bundy's products and its databases, document management systems, computers and servers, email, and other systems and devices to ensure Bundy complies with the order and is not infringing Mallet's trade secrets.

In addition, for four years Bundy must give Mallet seven days' notice if it intends to interview for employment any current or former Mallet employee with a noncompete agreement.

Mallet and Company is a division of Vantage Group, a leading provider of specialty chemicals and ingredients for a range of commercial and industrial applications. Baking release agents facilitate the removal of baked goods from pans, molds, trays, conveyor belts, or packaging.

"Misappropriation of intellectual property should never be rewarded, and this order will help ensure Bundy Baking and Synova cannot benefit from their brazen theft of our trade secrets," said Jan Tinge, Vantage's Executive Vice President, Foods. "We greatly appreciate the thorough nature of the judge's ruling, which covers past and current Synova products, as well as any that may be under development."

'Willful and Malicious' Theft of Trade Secrets

This latest order by Chief Judge Bissoon comes in the wake of an April 2025 jury verdict that found Bundy Banking and Synova had misappropriated product formulas and other trade secrets related to the manufacture and sale of Mallet's release agents. The evidence produced at trial showed, among other tactics, that Synova's CEO created a fictitious email address—under the name "John Smith"—to exchange emails with a former Mallet employee in order to facilitate the trade secret theft. As Chief Judge Bissoon noted in a subsequent ruling, the jury found Bundy and Synova's actions to be "willful and malicious" and it "awarded punitive damages against both companies, on every available claim." Bundy Baking Solutions has appealed the verdict.

In January 2026, Bundy and Synova were also sanctioned for "indefensible" post-trial conduct—specifically, the wrongful disclosure of Mallet's trade secrets in a post-trial court filing. As a result of the verdict and other rulings, Bundy Baking has been ordered to pay more than $20 million in damages, fees, and costs.

The trial court noted that it will retain jurisdiction to ensure compliance with all facets of the permanent injunction.

Mallet was represented at trial by Mayer Brown LLP and its attorneys Carmine R. Zarlenga, E. Brantley Webb, Catherine Medvene, and Anna V. Durham.

The case is Mallet & Co v. Lacayo, et al. (Case No. 2:19-cv-01409, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania). A copy of the October 27, 2026 Order can be found here.

About Mallet and Company

Mallet was acquired by Vantage in 2016, establishing the foundation for what is now the Vantage Food business. With complementary acquisitions of AMARNAKOTE^® water-based release agents in 2018 and Spanish oils company TEXTRON PLIMON in 2019, Vantage Food has evolved as an industry leader offering exceptional customer service and a comprehensive solutions offering of release agents, functional ingredients and equipment designed to meet the needs of commercial bakers and other food applications.

About Vantage Food: Better Performance Made Possible

As one of the leaders in the food industry, Vantage Food provides exceptional service to our customers through comprehensive solutions offering of release agents, functional ingredients and equipment designed to meet the needs of various food applications. Vantage Food is a reliable supplier committed to quality and innovation and delivering top-notch solutions that help drive success supporting large-scale operations and small businesses alike. Vantage Food is a business unit of Vantage Specialty Chemicals. Learn more at: vantagefood.com or contact us for more information info.food@vantagegrp.com .

About Vantage

Vantage provides natural solutions that support our customers' technical performance and marketing needs through a unique combination of chemistry, application expertise and service. Underpinned by a broad portfolio of formulations, ingredients and actives that are built on a backbone of sustainable oils, fats and their derivatives, Vantage targets selected markets and applications including personal care, food, surface treatment, agriculture, pharma, and consumer and industrial performance. Vantage is headquartered in Deerfield, IL, operates in 11 countries worldwide and employs more than 1,000 talented professionals focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences with every interaction. Learn more at vantagegrp.com.

SOURCE Vantage Specialty Chemicals/Mallet and Company