India: Varun Beverages breaks ground on new plant
Varun Beverages, PepsiCo’s bottling partner in India, has announced that construction has started on a new production facility in the northern state of Punjab. Located in the city of Pathankot, the new greenfield plant will add in-house production capacity for Tropicana fruit juices, Quaker Oats milk drinks and Gatorade energy drinks, according to a report […]
USA: JM Smucker to acquire Ainsworth Pet Nutrition
US-based food and beverage producer JM Smucker has announced an agreement to acquire Ainsworth Pet Nutrition for approximately $1.7 billion. Ainsworth Pet Nutrition is a privately-held company which produces and distributes premium-positioned pet food and pet snacks, including the Rachael Ray Nutrish brand. In addition to the company headquarters in Pennsylvania, the transaction includes two […]
USA: Dunn’s River Brands to acquire majority in Temple Turmeric
Dunn’s River Brands, a beverage portfolio management company, has announced the acquisition of a majority interest in Temple Turmeric for an undisclosed sum, according to a BevNet report. New-York based Temple Turmeric produces a range of ‘elixirs’, raw vinegars and ‘pure prana shots’ made from organic whole root turmeric juice. In a statement, Temple Turmeric […]
Michael Wunsch, Managing Director,
Barakat
Gama spoke to Michael Wunsch, Managing Director, Barakat. To what extent is the demand for “pure”, “raw”, “fresh” and “unprocessed” ingredients impacting the juices category in the UAE? “Barakat has witnessed a significant increase in volumes in retail for fresh juice consumption over the past years. Consumers are more aware of the importance of consuming […]
France: PepsiCo puts Tropicana site up for sale
Food and drinks giant PepsiCo has put its Tropicana facility in Hermes, France up for sale as a result of declining juice sales, according to French media reports. The 4,000 sq m site, which employs just under 100 staff, has reportedly seen juice volumes decrease from 80 million litres to 60 million litres within the […]
UK: Young’s Seafood set to close Annan site
Young’s Seafood, a UK based producer of fish and fish-based ready meals, has announced that it plans to close its Pinney’s processing and manufacturing facility in Annan, Scotland, following a review of its operations. Describing production at the site as “no longer financially sustainable”, the seafood firm said it intended to move remaining natural salmon production to an […]
Germany: Arla to sell cheese plant to Allgauer Hof-Milch
European dairy co-operative Arla has announced its intention to sell cheese plant in Sonthofen, Germany to the dairy company Allgauer Hof-Milch. Arla said the decision was taken as the speciality cheese produced in Sonthofen no longer followed the strategic plan of its businesses in Germany and Europe. “All of our production sites in Germany are […]
UK: GlaxoSmithKline to buy out stake in Novartis joint venture
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the UK based healthcare multinational, is to buy out its stake in its consumer healthcare venture with Novartis at a cost of $13 billion. The joint venture, which includes the toothpaste brand Sensodyne and painkiller brand Panadol, as well as Nicotinell stop smoking aids, was formed in 2015 as part of Novartis’ portfolio […]
Mexico: Chedraui acquires Fiesta Mart
The US arm of Mexican grocer Chedraui has reached an agreement to acquire the Texan supermarket chain Fiesta Mart. The deal was made through Chedraui’s California-based division Bodega Latina, owner of the El Super chain, and allows Bodega Latina to expand to Texas, where Fiesta Mart operates 63 supermarkets. Commenting on the purchase, Bodega Latina’s […]
UK: Nestle to launch chocolate bar with sugar reduction technology
FMCG giant Nestle has announced that is launching its first chocolate bar based on new “structured sugar” technology. Called Milkybar Wowsomes, the new product is claimed to be “the first chocolate bar in the world to use Nestlé’s innovative sugar reduction technique”. The technology is said to consists of creating aerated, porous particles of sugar […]