China: PepsiCo acquires snack brand Be & Cheery
PepsiCo, the US multinational food and beverage maker, has announced the acquisition of snack brand Be & Cheery from the Chinese company Haoxiangni Health Food for $705 million. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Hangzhou, Be & Cheery is one of the largest online snacks companies in China and reported revenues of approximately 5 billion […]
USA: B&G Foods Acquires Farmwise
B&G Foods, the US company behind brands such as Back to Nature, Green Giant and Cream of Wheat, has announced the acquisition of Farmwise, a Massachusetts-based producer of vegan and plant-based products, for an undisclosed sum. Founded by a husband and wife team, Farmwise makes vegetable-enhanced versions of traditional frozen potato products and vegetable-based alternatives […]
USA: Kind launches nut-based range in major NPD push
Kind, the snack firm in which Mars has a minority interest, has announced a major NPD push that will take the company into the chilled and frozen space, as well as expanding its range of ambient snacks. Describing the product roll-out as “its biggest innovation expansion ever”, Kind said all the new items would be made […]
UK: Lucozade Ribena Suntory inaugurates new bottling line
Lucozade Ribena Suntory, the UK subsidiary of Japanese food and drinks giant Suntory, has inaugurated a new £13 million ($16.9 million) production line at the firm’s factory in Coleford, Gloucestershire. The new high-speed line fills 55,000 bottles an hour, enabling Lucozade Ribena Suntory to keep up with the demand for its expanding range of low-sugar […]
UAE: Agthia launches ‘Middle East first’ bioplastic bottle
Agthia, the leading Middle East food and beverage firm, has unveiled what is said to be the region’s first drinks bottle made from bioplastic. The new Plant Bottle for Agthia’s flagship Al Ain mineral water brand is described as being made from fermented sugars that are converted into a resin called polylactic acid. The pack is […]
USA: Hormel to expand manufacturing operations to Nebraska
Hormel, the leading US food manufacturer, is expanding its manufacturing operations to Nebraska with the opening of a new factory in Omaha, according to a Food Business News report. The building, said to be a former distribution centre for the now defunct Shopko retail chain, is set to undergo $60 million of renovations with a […]
UAE: Lulu to expand hypermarket footprint
Lulu, the Middle East grocery retailer, has announced its intention to add 20 new hypermarkets to its store network over the next two years, according to a report in Arabian business. The new stores will reportedly be spread across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, including in Khalifa City, Al Falah, and Riyadh City in Abu Dhabi, […]
Germany: DMK to sell ice cream plant to Schwarz Gruppe
DMK, the leading Germany dairy cooperative, has announced plans to sell its ice cream plant in Waldfeucht-Haaren, North Rhine-Westphalia to retail giant Schwarz Gruppe, which operates the Lidl and Kaufland businesses, for an undisclosed sum. Describing the move as being part of plans to “streamline its production network in the ice cream business unit”, DMK […]
USA: The Good Bean acquires Beanitos
The Good Bean, a California, US based maker of organic chickpea snacks, has acquired rival snack firm Beanitos, according to a report in NOSH.com The terms of the deal, which were not wholly disclosed, will reportly seen Good Bean take over Beanitos assets, including its products, recipes, branding and retailer relationships, without assuming any responsibility for the […]
UK: Unilever considering disposal of tea assets
Unilever, the FMCG multinational, is considering the sale of its tea division in light of declining sales. Speaking during a conference call to announce the firm’s Q4 results, Unilever CEO Alan Jope described the firm’s tea business, which includes the PG Tips and Lipton brands, as being “more mature […], consolidated […] and structurally slower growing”, and […]