McCain completes acquisition of frozen food producer

Tess Egginton
-
0
McCain completes acquisition of frozen food producer
McCain Foods has strengthened its partnership with Strong Roots, completing its acquisition of the Dublin-based frozen food producer. The two brands previously announced a strategic partnership in 2021, with McCain investing to expand its product offering, bringing vegetable forward, environmentally responsible food choices to more consumers around the world. This is a continued sign of McCain’s commitment to “fix the freezer aisle” by expanding the Strong Roots brand into more regions. Jillian Moffatt, Regional President, McCain GB & Ireland, said: “This investment bolsters McCain’s commitment to planet-friendly food, enabling us to extend our portfolio of healthier options that are grown, processed and shipped in a sustainable manner. With a vision and values aligned to McCain’s, we are excited to continue our journey to scale the Strong Roots brand globally.” To maintain the consistency of the brand and showcase McCain’s confidence and enthusiasm in the partnership, a brand advisory council will be instituted, including Strong Roots’ founder and members of the Strong Roots and McCain teams, as well as external advisors, to steward the brand and business for future growth. Peter Dawe, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer of McCain Foods, said: “Since 2021, our partnership with Strong Roots has reflected our ambition to invest for the future, and to diversify our portfolio to ensure we continue to meet evolving consumer demands. We are excited to help further accelerate growth, bringing natural, simple meals and ingredients to even more customers in retail and foodservice markets.” Samuel Dennigan, Strong Roots founder and CEO, said: “We have witnessed tremendous growth since partnering with McCain and this move will enable Strong Roots to maintain its focus on sustainability while propelling innovation to bring delicious, vegetable forward products to more consumers around the world.” Strong Roots products have so far joined the McCain Foodservice portfolio in GB and Ireland and retail portfolio in France, with further plans to scale retail and foodservice offerings globally. Strong Roots will operate as a distinct business under the leadership of Charlotte Turton, with founder, Samuel Dennigan, working alongside the team to propel further portfolio innovation and brand growth. The strengthened partnership with Strong Roots is the latest of a series of investments and acquisitions McCain has made in recent years to expand its product and service offerings including Scelta Products and Forno Di Minas.

Glanbia to acquire Flavor Producers for $300m

Tess Egginton
-
0
Glanbia to acquire Flavor Producers for $300m
Glanbia has entered into an agreement with the owners of Flavor Producers to acquire the business for an initial consideration of $300 million plus deferred consideration. Flavor Producers is a leading flavour platform in the US, providing flavours and extracts to the food and beverage industries, with a focus on organic and natural ingredients. Glanbia will operate Flavor Producers within its Glanbia Nutritionals (GN), Nutritional Solutions business (NS or Nutritional Solutions). Hugh McGuire, Chief Executive Officer of Glanbia, said: “I am delighted to announce the acquisition of Flavor Producers, which represents an important step in the continued growth of our Nutritional Solutions business. “This acquisition builds on our existing flavours capability and positions us well to capture long term growth opportunities in the organic and natural flavours segments. “M&A is an important part of our growth strategy and this transaction represents a further opportunity to scale our NS business, unlock synergies and acquire unique and complementary capabilities.” The initial consideration is $300 million with an additional deferred payment of up to $55 million, conditional on performance in 2024.

Investment house makes £3m follow-on investment in Daily Dose

Tess Egginton
-
0
Investment house makes £3m follow-on investment in Daily Dose

Investment house IW Capital has made a further £3 million investment into its portfolio company, Daily Dose, the cold-pressed juice and functional drinks business. Daily Dose will use the follow-on investment to fund the next stage of its growth.

With a farm-to-fridge ethos, Daily Dose partners directly with British farmers, taking waste produce that would otherwise be thrown away, and turning it into cold pressed juice sold under its own brand ‘Daily Dose’ and through private label contracts.

Daily Dose was founded in 2016, and, since its inception, has grown rapidly. In the past year, and off the back of IW Capital’s original investment in 2023, the company has delivered another year of growth and has won a number of contracts that have seen it stocked on the shelves of major retailers. It has also acquired a new production facility in Corby, which will enable the scale-up of its juice production operations.

The company is now in a strong position to continue its growth trajectory with its enhanced facilities and machinery. The follow-on investment from IW Capital will be used to facilitate the opening of its Corby site in full, and will also be used to accelerate marketing, sales and key hires.

Isobel Egemole, Investment Director at IW Capital, said: “We’re thrilled to be backing Daily Dose in this follow-on round. As investors in the business, we’ve seen the extraordinary growth that Daily Dose have achieved to date, and we’re excited to be supporting the business for a second time in this next stage of expansion.

“It says a great deal about the partnership we have with Daily Dose, and the confidence that our investors have in the business, that we’re able to provide follow-on funding for this fast growing, exciting company.”

George Hughes-Davies, Founder of Daily Dose, said: “The latest investment from IW Capital comes at an opportune time for Daily Dose as we expand, scale our operations and capitalise on the phenomenal growth we’ve experienced to date.

“We are making a number of significant hires across the business and we are well positioned to continue the company’s fantastic growth trajectory.”

IW Capital was advised by EMW Law. Daily Dose was advised by Wilsons Solicitors LLP.

Bakery manufacturing company acquires artisanal inspired firm

Tess Egginton
-
0
Bakery manufacturing company acquires artisanal inspired firm

BRIDOR, subsidiary of LE DUFF Group, has acquired PANDRIKS Holding B.V., a company that makes organic and artisanal inspired bakery products.

With this major acquisition, BRIDOR continues its strong global growth and emphasises LE DUFF Group’s commitment to accelerate its growth in the bakery sector. 

Founded in the Netherlands in 2012, PANDRIKS makes artisanal inspired bakery products. The company offers traditional bread made with noble ingredients and organic bread under private label (in-store bake-off) and through its own brand, SlooOW (home bake-off).

The two state-of-the-art production facilities in Meppel (Netherlands) and Fulda (Bio Breadness – Germany) allow PANDRIKS to supply the main European retail chains as well as overseas customers.

PANDRIKS has a turnover of €150 million (2023) and 400 employees. Under the BRIDOR umbrella, PANDRIKS will continue its journey with both its brand and values being preserved.

The integration of PANDRIKS will expand the Group’s production capacity and bolster its product portfolio, particularly in the organic bakery market. It will also strengthen the Group’s foothold in North West Europe.

Philippe Morin, Worldwide CEO, BRIDOR, said: “The acquisition of Pandriks is consistent with Bridor’s strategy. It gives us the opportunity to take a leading position on key markets such as the Netherlands and Germany.

“This acquisition will also strengthen our teams with the highly experienced, qualified and motivated people from Pandriks joining Bridor. Pandriks will bring to life the Bridor purpose: ‘Share the bakery cultures of the world’.”

Peter van den Berg, CEO, PANDRIKS, said: “We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as we embark on this new chapter with Bridor. Pandriks has grown significantly in recent years and wants to invest in further expansion to optimally serve our clients.

“With LE DUFF Group as our new shareholder, we believe that it is possible to achieve our goals while preserving our unique identity, philosophy and strategy.”

HelloFresh opens its largest European distribution centre

Tess Egginton
-
0
HelloFresh opens its largest European distribution centre

Recipe box company HelloFresh has opened its latest flagship automated production facility in Derby. The site, named ‘The Windmill’, was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony by UK CEO Adam Park and Pauline Latham OBE MP for Mid Derbyshire.

The new site has created around 300 jobs for the local community to-date with more expected in the coming months as it ramps up production. The automated production lines will allow HelloFresh and Green Chef customers even more choice and ability to personalise their meals.

In keeping with HelloFresh’s commitment to a more sustainable future, The Windmill has been developed in partnership with SmartParc SEGRO Derby, a low-carbon food manufacturing campus in Spondon, Derby, to be one of the most sustainable production facilities in the country.

Features include a rainwater harvesting system, a 22 MVA rooftop solar panel array, and a shared heating and cooling system which recycles heat from refrigeration plants and reuses it to heat water and offices across the estate.

The site achieved an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating for its energy efficiency and will derive 100% of its energy from renewable sources. It will also have EV charging spaces, local bus services that are aligned with production times and provide secure bike storage (alongside a cycle-to-work scheme) to further reduce local emissions while supporting its employees.

The expansion of production capability provided by The Windmill supports HelloFresh Group’s ambitions for long-term growth and will act as a launch pad for future growth and innovation for its brands in the UK.

The automation technology will allow for handling of greater product complexity to give customers more recipes to choose from as well as options to further personalise their meals, including options to replace meat for plant-based alternatives or customise portion sizes.

The site will also use best-in-class predictive algorithms and technology to improve inventory management processes, reduce waste, and ultimately deliver ingredients that are fresher than ever.

The Windmill has created around 300 jobs for the local community so far – including production operatives, maintenance engineers, and management roles – with more to come as production ramps up in the coming months.

The Windmill will also boost HelloFresh’s support for local charities like Community Action Derby. Today, HelloFresh donates ingredients for more than 100 meals each week to assist those experiencing food insecurity in the local area.

HelloFresh UK CEO, Adam Park, said: “We are delighted to open our largest and most advanced European distribution centre – The Windmill – here in Derby.

“We have invested for over two years to build our latest automated production technology in Derby, particularly due to its incredibly diverse and skilled talent pool. This site and its cutting-edge technology will allow handling of great complexity in our production to give customers even more choice, while creating hundreds of jobs and opportunities for talented people in the local area to build skills and careers in a growing space.

“Derby’s great connectivity also means we can provide an even better delivery experience for our UK customers with eighty per cent of customers now being within a four-hour drive of where the product is made.

“All-in-all, we are delighted to be in Derby and look forward to contributing to this great community as we partner on an exciting journey of growth and innovation we have planned for HelloFresh and Green Chef in the UK.”

Also present at the opening ceremony were Cllr Baggy Shanker, Paul Simpson, CEO Derby City Council, Jackie Wild, Founder and CEO of SmartParc, Andrew Pilsworth, Chief Of Staff at SEGRO, and Jane Byam Shaw OBE, Co-Founder of the Felix Project.

Beyond Food Experience for Success Beyond at THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024

Tess Egginton
-
0
Beyond Food Experience for Success Beyond at THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024
In the upcoming month of May, there is a pivotal event that businesses and entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry cannot afford to miss. That event is “THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024,” organized by the Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, and the Thai Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Koelnmesse from Germany. It stands as the largest and most comprehensive food and beverage trade show in Asia. Held under the concept of Beyond Food Experience, it aims to connect industry players, facilitate business negotiations with global leaders, explore opportunities, and foster new experiences toward greater success. Now & Beyond: THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024 serves as a platform to showcase innovations and new food and beverage products that respond to current and future lifestyle trends. This includes offerings from leading companies to startups, focusing on health-conscious trends, sustainable food production, plant-based proteins, and various new food formats. Opportunity Beyond: THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024 provides a comprehensive meeting area for manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders all under one roof. The event sees an increasing number of attendees each year, with exhibitors from over 40 countries worldwide, spanning across East Asia, ASEAN, Europe, America, Latin America, the Middle East, and Australia. With over 3,000 booths, it is a platform where traders can explore and negotiate with manufacturers and suppliers in the food and beverage industry comprehensively. Inspiration Beyond: For those looking to venture into the food business or seeking new knowledge and skills, THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024 is a spark of ideas and a holistic learning hub. It encompasses seminars, exhibitions, business consulting services, product quality competitions, culinary skill contests, and more, all geared towards advancing business management or fostering greater business success. THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2024 spans over an area of over 130,000 square meters, open for business negotiations from 28th May to 1st June 2024, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, with retail sales available on 1st June 2024, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, at IMPACT Challenger Halls 1-3 and IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Center Halls 5-12, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand. Those interested can find further details and register for the event at www.thaifex-anuga.com.

Registrations now open for London Packaging Week

Tess Egginton
-
0
Registrations now open for London Packaging Week
London Packaging Week, renowned as one of the premier exhibitions for sustainable and stylish packaging solutions worldwide, has opened for registrations with its organisers declaring ‘packaging matters more than ever’. The two-day event, which will take place on 11 & 12 September, attracted 4,500+ visitors and 190 exhibitors to the ExCeL in 2023. Organisers are again anticipating huge demand, with hundreds of the world’s biggest suppliers and thousands of designers, packaging developers, marketers, founders and buyers relying on the annual event to drive innovation and creativity. London’s vibrant home for packaging innovation and design will host four co-located events – Packaging Première, PCD, PLD, and Food & Consumer Pack, and Easyfairs is encouraging potential visitors to register for the event sooner rather than later. The four events offer brand teams an unrivalled and focused forum to source the latest packaging solutions, meet new suppliers and solve their biggest innovation challenges. Packaging Première connects designers and manufacturers of luxury packaging with the major international brands, PCD is the world’s premier event brand for the beauty packaging community, PLD defines the future of packaging for all types of premium and luxury drinks, and Food & Consumer Pack is designed to drive packaging innovation across the £200bn market for everyday food, drinks and FMCG products. “London is the UK’s shop window for all things luxury and a global luxury hub,” said James Montero MacColl, Senior Marketing Manager, Easyfairs UK. “London Packaging Week remains the ultimate platform for packaging businesses to showcase their products. It’s the perfect opportunity to survey the trends defining the luxury packaging landscape. “Packaging is one of the most fundamentally important aspects of the enduring appeal of luxury brands to discerning customers. Once again, the event promises a vision for premium and luxury packaging. Packaging, particularly luxury packaging, needs to be experienced, and London Packaging Week will, no doubt, be awash with luxury brand architects dedicated to studying what drives the success of prestige brands.” Benjamin Voyer, Cartier Chaired Professor of Behavioural Science at ESCP Business School will get a packed programme of content underway with his 30-minute session titled ‘The Science Behind Behaviour’, which delves into the world of influencing purchasing habits and understanding decision making, purchase and post-purchase behaviour. Amir Gehl, Founder of Difference Coffee, Melvin Jay, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at GUNNA Drinks, Amy Nelson-Bennett, Chief Executive Officer at Positive Luxury and Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive Officer at WRAP, will join dozens of leading lights from the world of packaging, in sharing their insights across the two days. Such is the show’s magnetic appeal and its unrivalled ability to corral stakeholders from right across the packaging supply chain under one roof, that it continues to play host to a number of the key players in packaging design, innovation and sustainability, regularly welcoming industry professionals from some of the world’s biggest brands, including Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, ELEMIS, Charlotte Tilbury, DIAGEO, Hotel Chocolat, Mulberry, Burberry, Harrods, and Molton Brown. Justin Hutton-Penman, Head of Product Innovation, The Macallan, said: “We visit London Packaging Week for a number of reasons, but primarily it’s about broadening our knowledge of the supply base. We need a wider supply base to deliver what we want to over the next 10 years. And we need to know what’s out there and what’s new, and places like this help us get our heads around that and understand what’s happening in the marketplace.” “Packaging is the number one thing the consumer interacts with. It’s the reason people pick it up, and having an opportunity to focus on it for a day is fantastic. It’s great, very busy and vibrant,” added Cassandra Stavrou, Founder of Proper Snacks. Wellbeing expert Liz Earle MBE said: “What’s great about exhibitions like this is that you can connect with real people in real-time. It’s very relevant to the subject they want to come in and explore or hear more about. It’s just that connection with real people – you can’t beat it!” Candy Kittens Co-Founder Jamie Laing added: “Packaging is everything. It’s your CV, signature, and brand, so for me, packaging is one of the most crucial things. Packaging is one of the most fundamentally important things you will ever do within your business.” ATTEND LONDON PACKAGING WEEK Join the top brands in beauty, luxury, drinks and FMCG by registering to attend. Enquire about exhibiting and finding your complete stand and sponsorship package today.

Established knowledge drives success in challenging cleaning environments

Tess Egginton
-
0
Established knowledge drives success in challenging cleaning environments
Leading food and beverage manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to eliminate the risks of product contamination. With stricter hygienic controls required, the key to success is the rigorous and effective cleaning of the process line itself. Clean-In-Place (CIP) systems are universally recognised as the most effective solution for maintaining dependable, consistently repeatable results. Responding to demand for a more versatile approach, Axium Process have launched an adaptive Mobile CIP System for all industry sectors, offering a cost-effective and compact plug-and-play solution in place of traditional fixed-in-place methods. The new CIP package is a highly versatile and easy-to-maintain clean-in-place solution, designed with mobility and hygiene at the forefront of its design. Fully customisable with options ranging from manual to automatic, the system can be adapted to include an integrated control unit via a panel-mounted touchscreen HMI and PLC. With remote monitoring and ongoing technical support available if required, the system can be programmed to record historic data, accessible on site by an operator, or remotely by one of Axium’s own engineers. Developed with decades of hands-on experience across multiple process applications, Axium’s new Mobile CIP System offers an advanced alternative for sanitary maintenance.

Plant-based product potential soars with the help of membrane filtration technology

Tess Egginton
-
0
Plant-based product potential soars with the help of membrane filtration technology
As consumer demand increases for plant-based products and proteins, manufacturers are turning their attention to tried-and-true technology in hope of unearthing new discoveries for financial growth and company expansion. Many manufacturers are turning to crossflow membrane filtration in search of answers. Able to provide high-quality protein yields without the risk of altering the macromolecules’ structure, crossflow membrane filtration provides a way to separate desired molecules, like protein, from the undesired molecules. Using membrane filtration avoids the loss of functional and nutritional properties, as opposed to other processes such as acid-leaching or thermal treatments. Research indicates membrane filtration can achieve a protein retention rate of up to 97%. Axium Process has been helping such companies on the road to success. “This is not new technology,” said Jamie George, Projects & Business Development Director at Axium Process, “this is a trusted technology applied in new ways. For over 20 years we’ve helped market-leading manufacturers achieve results. The premise is the same, but the execution is a different matter entirely; we have the knowledge and experience to know where things diverge, and what to do when that happens. “At Axium, we tailor our solutions to customers’ specific needs, whether it’s maximising pea protein isolate for plant-based burgers or extracting soy protein for shakes.” For companies looking to create plant-based products, membrane filtration can provide a cost-effective solution within a small footprint, helping maximise production output and efficiency. By embracing the automation of membrane filtration, companies can focus on product development and market demands, confident that their production line is up to the task.

VEGATRUCK ‘on the road’ customer training facility 2024 UK tour

Tess Egginton
-
0
VEGATRUCK ‘on the road’ customer training facility 2024 UK tour
The VEGATRUCK, mobile customer training facility, is gearing up for its much-anticipated 2024 UK Tour, scheduled for three weeks starting from 24th April to 9th May.  A special stop will be made at the Food Manufacturing Live Exhibition taking place at the National Motorcycle Museum, offering an exciting opportunity for professionals and enthusiasts alike to explore the latest innovations in level and pressure instrumentation. The VEGATRUCK is a state-of-the-art American Kenworth W900 truck, accompanied by a specially designed, expanding Formula 1-style trailer. The 64m2 presentation area within the trailer is equipped with a mini training theatre, working instruments, functioning models, and cutting-edge technology for an immersive learning experience. What to Expect On-board:
  • Expert Guidance: Engage with VEGA’s pressure and level experts who will be on hand to provide in-depth training, demonstrations, and answer any questions about the featured product range.
  • Product Demonstrations: Experience first-hand the capabilities of VEGA’s cutting-edge products, including the universally adaptable 6X® Non-Contact Level radar tailored to your process needs; discover the low-cost, versatile and resilient level sensors for the Water Industry; take a closer look at the comprehensive line of pressure instruments, with the added excitement of the ‘strong thumb’ challenge; delve into the advantages VEGA provides for the chemical, petrochemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries, and much more…
  • Wireless IIoT Solutions: Explore VEGA’s latest battery-powered wireless IIoT radar solutions, offering advanced functionality and ease of integration.
  • VEGA Inventory System: Learn about VIS – the innovative software designed to streamline inventory management processes.
  • Sensor setup with VEGA Tools App: Join a live demo showcasing instrument adjustment with Bluetooth communications, compatible with all plics® sensors since 2002. With easy to use graphic visualisation of your data, a menu structure identical to PACTware/DTM and back-up/restore functions.
Don’t miss out on this exciting chance to experience the VEGATRUCK and stay ahead in the world of industrial instrumentation. Click this link if you would like to see the truck in action! Unable to attend Food Manufacturing Live? Click this link for detailed information on the VEGATRUCK locations and schedules.
123...50Page 2 of 50