Japan: Japan Tobacco acquires e-cigarette brand E-Lites
Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) has announced that it has concluded an agreement that will see it take ownership of the e-cigarette brand E-Lites. Under the terms of the agreement, JT is to acquire all the outstanding shares of Zandera Ltd. which JT described as offering the most recognized range of high quality rechargeable and ready-to-use […]
Australia: Mother launches “morning” energy drink
Energy drink company Mother has recently launched a new product called Revive which it is positioning as a “morning beverage”. According to Australian Food News, Mother Revive has a lemon & lime flavour and contains caffeine, tea and yerba mate to give a “morning lift”. Commenting on the launch, Pamela Wyatt, Mother Marketing Manager, said: […]
Australia: “First paper water bottle” launched
A paper-based water bottle has recently been launched by Australian beverage company, Do Water, in a move which is described as a first for the Australian market. According to the company, the packs are lightweight, collapsible and recyclable. As reported by Australian Food News (AFN), the water is sourced from Sardinia and is also bottled […]
Indonesia: Olam International to invest in cocoa processing
Singapore based company Olam International Limited (Olam) has recently announced plans to invest $61 million to establish a new cocoa processing facility. As reported by Australian Food News (AFN), the company has 65 businesses that operate as a value chain, with Olam saying that the project will “leverage the strength of its Indonesian cocoa sourcing […]
Australia: Peters Ice Cream sold to R&R
Following recent speculation it has been confirmed that ice cream brand Peters Food Group Limited (Peters) is to be sold by Pacific Equity Partners (PEP). Peters, which is one of Australia’s oldest consumer businesses, has been sold to UK-based R&R Ice Cream plc (R&R) backed by funds advised by French private equity firm PAI Partners […]
Innovation Insight: Mitsuya Freezing Cider Soft Drink
This week, Gama casts its eye over a new addition to the long-established Mitsuya Cider range in Japan – Mitsuya Freezing Cider – which is taking chilled shelving to new extremes. Launched by Asahi Soft Drinks, Mitsuya Freezing Cider is a soft drink that blurs the boundaries between chilled drinks and frozen ice pops. The […]
India: Bengal Beverages records growth in 2014
Bengal Beverages, which is a franchised bottling company of Coca Cola based in the Indian state of Bengal, has said that it has seen its turnover increase 20% in 2014. According to CMD S R Goenka, the company has invested almost Rs 3,000 million ($51 million) in the last five years in order to modernize […]
China: Amazon invests $20 million in Yummy 77
Online retail multinational Amazon has invested $20million in the Shanghai-based web food company Yummy 77, TechNode reports. The Chinese company offers seasonally fresh and gourmet products online including dairy, fruit, seafood and meat and ships them across China, catering for the growing demand for premium imported food products among city dwellers. The investment in Yummy […]
Japan: Mizkan Group buys Ragu and Bertolli brands from Unilever
According to media reports, Mizkan Group has signed an agreement with Unilever to buy its North America pasta sauces business under the Ragu and Bertolli brands. The value of the transaction is expected to be approximately $2.15 billion. Kazuhide Nakano, Chairman and CEO Mizkan Holdings, said: “This transaction represents an important milestone in our global […]
Australia: Treasury Wines rejects takeover bid
Treasury Wine Estates Limited (Treasury Wines), the Australian winemaker, has reportedly rejected a takeover bid of $4.70 cash per share from US company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (KKR), claiming that the offer did not reflect the true value of the company. According to Australian Food News, Treasury Wines said that KKR had requested […]