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                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

                                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS:

Ronald Tassello                          Donald C. Weinberger
BALTEK CORPORATION                       WOLFE AXELROD WEINBERGER ASSOCIATES LLC
(201) 767-1400                           (212) 370-4500


                               BALTEK CORPORATION
                    STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL OF MERGER AGREEMENT


NORTHVALE, N.J., JUNE 26, 2003 -- BALTEK CORPORATION (NASDAQ: BTEK) Jacques
Kohn, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Baltek Corporation,
was pleased to announce today that the stockholders overwhelmingly approved the
merger of Baltek with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcan Inc. on the terms
previously announced in the Company's proxy statement filed on June 3, 2003.

The transaction is expected to close on July 1, 2003.

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BALTEK CORPORATION is a world-class manufacturer and distributor of balsa wood
products and other structural core materials, including PVC Foam and non-woven
mat products.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

CERTAIN STATEMENTS IN THIS PRESS RELEASE, THE COMPANY'S QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM
10-Q, THE ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K, THE COMPANY'S PRESS RELEASES OR IN REPORTS
TO STOCKHOLDERS CONSTITUTE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE
PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. SUCH STATEMENTS RELATE TO,
AMONG OTHER THINGS, INDUSTRIES IN WHICH THE COMPANY OPERATES, THE U.S. AND
GLOBAL ECONOMIES, EARNINGS, CASH FLOW AND OPERATING PERFORMANCE AND MAY BE
INDICATED BY WORDS OR PHRASES SUCH AS "ANTICIPATES," "SUPPORTS," "PLANS,"
"PROJECTS," "EXPECTS," "SHOULD," "FORECAST," "BELIEVE," "MANAGEMENT IS OF THE
OPINION" AND SIMILAR WORDS OR PHRASES. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO
INHERENT UNCERTAINTIES AND RISKS, INCLUDING AMONG OTHERS: GENERAL INDUSTRY
TRENDS AND GROWTH RATES AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AS THEY AFFECT DEMAND FOR OUR
CUSTOMERS' PRODUCTS AND CONTINUED DEMAND BY OUR CUSTOMERS. IN ADDITION, THE
CONSUMPTION OF THE MERGER DEPENDS ON THE COMPANY'S COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER CLOSING
CONDITIONS AS SET FORTH IN THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER AND FILED AS AN
EXHIBIT TO THE COMPANY'S FORM 8-K ON THE DATE HEREOF. IN ADDITION, SUCH
STATEMENTS COULD BE AFFECTED BY GENERAL DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC
CONDITIONS. THE LIST OF FACTORS PRESENTED HERE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED TO BE A
COMPLETE LIST OF ALL POTENTIAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES. UNLISTED FACTORS MAY
PRESENT SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL OBSTACLES TO THE REALIZATION OF FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS.

IN LIGHT OF THESE RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES, ACTUAL EVENTS AND RESULTS MAY VARY
SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THOSE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH STATEMENTS. ACCORDINGLY,
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS A PREDICTION OF ACTUAL
RESULTS AND READERS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON SUCH
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THE COMPANY UNDERTAKES NO OBLIGATION TO UPDATE OR
REVISE PUBLICLY ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHETHER AS A RESULT OF NEW
INFORMATION, FUTURE EVENTS OR OTHERWISE.

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