Seviroli Foods LLC, an existing portfolio company of Mill Point Capital LLC and manufacturer of frozen pasta and other food products and importer of specialty foods, has acquired Mama Rosie’s Company, a second-generation family-owned manufacturer of frozen pasta products primarily in the Northeastern United States.
The Seviroli and Mama Rosie’s partnership creates a stronger enterprise with enhanced scale, a robust product portfolio and a diversified customer base. The combined resources and capabilities of Seviroli and Mama Rosie’s provide a significant opportunity for the platform to scale organically and accelerate growth while ensuring the highest levels of product quality, safety and innovation. Nick Sardo, CEO and owner of Mama Rosie’s, will continue with the go-forward company in a senior advisor capacity. Both teams will work together diligently to ensure a seamless transition that minimizes any potential disruption to customers, employees and other stakeholders.
“Nick and his management team have achieved excellent growth at Mama Rosie’s while staying true to the company’s core focus of manufacturing high-quality pasta and maintaining outstanding customer service. Our combination with Mama Rosie’s is exciting and allows us to reinforce our commitment to delivering superior products and services to our customers and exciting ideas for this category,” said Paul Vertullo, president and Chief Executive Officer of Seviroli.
Nick Sardo added: “We are happy to be partnering with the Seviroli team and believe that both Mama Rosie’s and Seviroli share mutual foundations in consistently delivering excellent products to our customer partners. The opportunity to move forward with Paul and the rest of his team to execute upon our collective business and growth strategy is truly exciting.”
“Nick and the Mama Rosie’s team have done a fantastic job in establishing the company as a leading brand in its markets. The Seviroli and Mama Rosie’s teams are eager to unlock the new growth opportunities available to the combined company. We believe the business will be well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of its customers and consumers, offering them an exceptional culinary and purchasing experience across the expanded portfolio of brands,” said Aileen Wang, Vice President of Mill Point.
Arla, the dairy cooperative, in partnership with ENGIE and Infinis, has announced the signing of two new solar parks under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which will supply around 20% of the energy needed to power Arla’s entire UK operation from renewable sources.
The new solar parks will be operational from Boston (Lincolnshire) and Offham (Kent) during 2024. Together the sites are set to generate around 23,000 MWh of energy and create savings of approximately 4,439t of CO2 a year.
Both solar parks are being created on sites previously used as landfill, which forms part of an initiative to generate more clean energy and make a positive impact on the environment.
Fran Ball, VP of production at Arla, said: “At Arla, we’re committed to working with our farmer owners to provide natural, nutritious dairy, that is made in the best possible way, and are proud to be committing to two new solar parks to help power our UK operations.
“We are on a journey to climate net zero by 2050, which means that we are taking steps to reduce CO2e emissions on our farms, as well as focussing on other areas, including our production and logistics operations.
“As part of our Climate Action Roadmap, we will be switching to 100% renewable electricity across production sites by the end of 2025, which will contribute 58% of the emissions reductions we need to make in production by 2030.
“Additionally, 100% recyclable packaging will be used across branded products by end of 2025 and will be helping our farmers to adapt more sustainable feed production practices.”
Graham Leith, chief operating officer at ENGIE Energy Supply UK, said: “ENGIE globally is committed to accelerated growth in renewables with a firm commitment to be Net Zero Carbon by 2045, for us and for our customers. We seek to understand the needs of our customers and working together with partners to create a solution that supports their ambitions in a timely manner.”
James Milne, chief commercial officer at Infinis, said: “We’re proud to be working with Engie and Arla to deliver clean renewable power and support their net zero commitment. Partnerships like this help to protect higher grade agricultural land from development – supporting both food security and energy security – and we hope will pave the way for many more such projects.
“Corporate PPAs combined with the CfD play a vital role in delivering subsidy-free solar power and achieving national net zero targets.”
Arla has also recently completed the installation of roof mounted solar panels on its Oswestry site, which during peak power can generate 800KW. This means it can generate 12% of the site’s annual electricity usage, which would remove 137,920kg of carbon emissions.
In a union of conservation and craftsmanship, Pete Richardson, co-founder of the world’s first baby rhino orphanage, has acquired The White Rhino Gin Company Ltd and the Urban Rhino gin brand.
This unique development not only marks an exciting milestone for Pete but also introduces an exclusive limited-edition legacy batch for gin enthusiasts around the world.
Pete Richardson, 57, was working in The Waterberg area of Limpopo in South Africa when the rhino poaching crisis hit the headlines back in 2012.
Along with conservationist Arrie van Deventer, Pete was part of the team that took action to save the orphaned babies and went on to establish the world’s first purpose-built facility – The Rhino Orphanage.
Pete remains an active director of the orphanage, despite now living in the UK. Through this connection, Pete crossed paths with Belinda Chaffer, the driving force behind Waterberg Rhino UK, who introduced him to the owners of The White Rhino Gin Company.
Enthralled by the shared vision, Pete stated: “When I met Belinda and the owners of the company, it felt like destiny. We quickly realized the incredible potential to build a global brand with Urban Rhino gin while supporting the remarkable conservation efforts of both Waterberg Rhino UK and The Rhino Orphanage. I’m thrilled about the possibilities that lie ahead.”
Urban Rhino is a London dry gin distilled at the In the Welsh Wind distillery in Wales.
John Heeds, one of the original founders of Urban Rhino said he was delighted to have Pete on board to take the brand forward.
He said: “From our very first conversation I was struck by Pete’s passion and his links to rhino conservation made it a very easy decision to hand on the business to him and his team. We are very proud of what we have already achieved but couldn’t be any more excited about what the future holds for the company which myself and our fellow founders are still actively involved with.”
As part of the acquisition, Pete secured a small stock to create an exclusive and individually numbered legacy batch. These limited-edition legacy bottles are now available for purchase through the Urban Rhino website.
WMH have recently developed a side drive spiral conveyor system for use in a bakery environment.
Working closely with belt manufacturer, Intralox, WMH designers designed a twin spiral unit to give around 300 metres of conveyor length within a small factory footprint. The length of conveyor can be used for buffering of product or can be used as a holding facility to allow product to be rested for proving or ambient cooling whilst maintaining the benefits of an in-line production system.
The spiral is fitted with Intralox’s side drive modular plastic belt that offers all the flexibility and hygiene benefits of their other modular belts with the addition of the side drive features which enables the conveyor belt to be driven from the side rather than the end. This drive arrangement eliminates the need for a long return belt path and spreads tension along the length of the belt. Driving the belt on the outside edge also makes access for cleaning and maintenance simple and reduces the moving parts of the machine to a minimum.
The first unit built has twin stacks of conveyor providing low level infeed and low-level outfeed for inline product proving, however the design could easily be configured to offer single stack configuration for elevating, de-elevating or reversible for buffing in case of a fault on the line.
As with all WMH conveyors, the spiral conveyor has been designed with hygiene at the core of the machine, using all stainless-steel construction with no open crevices that can act as debris and bug traps. The machine has been designed to be used in a wash-down environment and can be treated as other modular plastic conveyors within the factory.
“We are really pleased with the way this new design has gone together and look forward to being able to offer similar solutions in the future,” said a spokesman for WMH.
For more information about WMH and their range of bespoke product handling and conveying solutions please visit www.wmh-uk-ltd.com or call 01579 383788
Pot Noodle is trialling a change in the way it makes its pots, moving from plastic to recyclable, FSC-certified paper. This new design is said to be the biggest innovation in its packaging since the brand launched over 40 years ago.
The new paper pot has launched exclusively in retailer Tesco, with an initial stock of 500,000 of the brand’s most popular flavour, Chicken & Mushroom.
The trial will be used to gain shopper feedback and, if it’s successful, the aim is to switch the full Pot Noodle range to paper pots – a move which, once complete, could remove 4,000 tonnes of virgin plastic each year. Insights from the trial will support the scale-up of the innovation at the Pot Noodle factory.
The innovation process to develop and refine the paper pot – which took over three years – was led by R&D teams at Hive, Unilever’s Global Foods Innovation Centre in the Netherlands, working closely with packaging experts in the UK.
The challenge was to identify the most effective way to reduce the plastic used in each pot, while also ensuring the packaging still holds its distinctive shape and delivers the same quality eating experience that fans of the brand have come to love.
Andre Burger, General Manager Foods (Nutrition) at Unilever UK & Ireland, says: “Pot Noodle has been a much-loved British brand for over 40 years, and while our great taste will never change, we’re always challenging ways to make our products and packaging better.
“From material development and testing through to new manufacturing processes and capabilities, big packaging innovations require the investment of time and expertise across many teams and partners.
“There have been plenty of challenges along the way, but we are committed to reducing the plastic in our packaging and to a paper-based future for our pots, without compromising on the Pot Noodle experience our shoppers know and love.
“We are now excited to learn from this initial trial with the ambition of bringing our paper pots to more shoppers across the UK soon.”
The new pots can be recycled at home with other cardboard and paper and include on-pack recycling labels to provide clear guidance to UK shoppers on how to dispose of the packaging. A single layer of ultra-thin plastic film is used to provide barrier protection, which ensures ingredients remain fresh and protects the paper when water is added but doesn’t inhibit the recyclability of the pot.
Beck’s, Corona, and Budweiser are enjoyed around the world. They all come from Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s biggest brewing group, which produces around one-third of the world’s beer. The group’s portfolio encompasses 630 brands, made in 260 breweries. The Belgian conglomerate employs more than 170,000 people in over 150 countries – including South Africa.
AB InBev operates seven breweries here, including the Pretoria South African Breweries (SAB) site with almost 900 employees. This plant mainly produces the South African beer brand Castle Lite and the Mexican beer Corona, together adding up to some 8.5 million hectoliters each year. To boost production of Corona especially, the company has added a non-returnable glass line from Krones. “We chose Krones because of the good relationship, compatibility with current equipment and reliability standards,” says packaging manager Theo Govender.
Two times 50,000 bottles per hour on a single line
What makes this line special is its high speed, filling 100,000 glass bottles per hour. It’s actually two lines running in parallel, each with a capacity of 50,000 bottles per hour. And it makes this line one of the fastest in South Africa. This design offers AB InBev not only a high output but also the flexibility to handle different beers in parallel – for example Corona and Castle Lite at the same time.
“To fit perfectly in SABs hall concept this line is extremely compact, with shared operating areas. This allows operators to attend to multiple machines, thereby reducing the number of operators required,” explains Boris Tremmel, Head of Key Account Sales at Krones.
Flexible filling, labelling, and packaging
The Ergomodul modular labeler features interchangeable labelling stations, making it possible to switch over to the beer currently in production. Since Corona bottles feature applied ceramic labels, the labeler doesn’t come into play here. Corona bottles simply bypass it.
When it comes to packaging, SAB also has choices as the line runs two different packers: the Variopac Pro WT for wrap-around cartons and trays and the Variopac Pro PFS for shrink packs. Both are tried and trusted packers for non-returnable containers. The Variopac Pro offers easy change-overs and expansion, so changes to packaging concepts can be accommodated at any time.
Another unique feature is the use of the multi-functional clamping starwheel MultiGuide Base, a first for AB InBev. Since the top and bottom clamps can be opened independently of each other, it is able to securely grip bottles with widely varying diameters. The big advantage is that it does away with the need for manual intervention during format change-overs.
With the aid of the MultiGuide Base multifunctional clamping starwheel, bottles with a wide range of diameters can be gripped securely.
Kliro Capital Partners, a family office investment company with extensive experience in the drinks industry, has acquired 100% of the share capital of UK independent alcoholic drinks manufacturer ICB (Intercontinental Brands Limited).
ICB is a leading UK producer and distributor of alcoholic drinks with brands including Cactus Jack, Veroni Amaretto, V-Kat, Hawksbill Rum, Rozél Vodka, and Bella Apertini. The company has a long history of collaborating with leading retailers and major international spirits companies, producing over 2.5m cases across nearly 400 SKUs and various formats each year.
Warren Scott, founder of Kliro Capital Partners, said: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of ICB. It is a good business with a strong leadership team and we believe that there is significant potential for growth both in the UK and beyond.
“We are committed to working closely with the ICB team to maximise the company’s potential through driving the pursuit of excellence in the drinks industry. This is the first step in our strategy to create a leading group supplying a diverse range of drinks products to UK retailers and 3rd party brand owners.”
Having divested his interest in Quintessential Brands Group in July last year, Warren and the Kliro team have been looking to invest in an appropriate UK spirits business to support, develop and grow both organically and through further acquisition.
Warren Scott, founder of Kliro Capital Partners, continued: “We believe that ICB is a tremendous platform to embark upon this new venture. The company has a strong track record, a talented team, and a portfolio of brands that we believe has significant potential for growth. We are excited to be working with the ICB team to build on the company’s success and create a leading spirits group.”
In addition to the acquisition, Kliro Capital Partners also announced that Simon Witham will be joining ICB as interim Managing Director. Witham has extensive experience in high-level management and leadership roles within the commercial and general management function across various industries, with his most recent position forming part of the senior executive team at Quintessential Brands Group.
Simon Witham, Managing Director of ICB, said: “I am excited to be joining ICB at this important milestone in the company’s history. I believe that there is significant potential for growth, and I look forward to working with the team to build on the company’s success.”
Envesca, a leading food training specialist, has been acclaimed for its exceptional standard of training provision by receiving the prestigious Highfield UK Top Student Award 2023.
Highfield, the prestigious awarding organisation, acknowledged the achievements of top-performing students in their three most popular qualifications between April 2022 and March 2023:
Highfield Level 4 Award in Food Safety in Catering
Highfield Level 4 Award in Food Safety Management for Manufacturing
Highfield Level 4 Award in HACCP for Management
Envesca learner, Harriet Raggett, quality assurance manager from PrepWorld, Gravesend, Kent, emerged as the top student in the Highfield Level 4 Award in Food Safety Management for manufacturing qualification.
The award was presented to Envesca at a special ceremony held on 7th June, at Highfield Qualifications’ event commemorating World Food Safety Day.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition. The recognition highlights Envesca’s invaluable role in developing top-class students and future professionals within the food sector,” said Sue Ellis, Managing Director of Envesca.
“Food Safety may not be the most glamorous subject, but we have consistently strived to be market leaders in this field. This award is a proud moment for us all and we’re delighted of course for Harriet and Fatima. It is a testament to their hard work and our commitment to delivering exceptional training.”
Envesca trainer, Fatima Zafar, was also commended by the judges for her “remarkable” style and approach to training. Highfield praised her dedication and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty, leaving a lasting impact on the individuals she trains.
Harriet Raggett added: “I would like to thank Highfield for this Level 4 Food Safety for Manufacturing Award. I was already chuffed when I received my score and this is just the icing on the cake! I would also like to thank Envesca and PrepWorld for providing the training and support and I will be using this training ongoing to assist with the PrepWorld team and better enhance my knowledge.”
Established 27 years ago, Envesca specialises in providing comprehensive food safety and health and safety solutions to businesses of all levels.
With their unwavering commitment to delivering outstanding training, Envesca has emerged as a market leader in the industry.
The company’s exceptional standard of training provision has been acknowledged through various accolades, including the recent Highfield UK Top Student Award 2023.
MGP Ingredients, a provider of distilled spirits, branded spirits, and food ingredient solutions, has revealed the planned closure of its distillery in Atchison, Kansas, with the anticipated closure date estimated to be January 2024.
The distillery is responsible for producing grain neutral spirits and industrial alcohol products as well as their related co-products.
The decision to close this distillery is said to be consistent with the company’s plan to address profitability headwinds associated with its grain neutral spirits and industrial alcohol products within its Distilling Solutions segment.
The company will continue to operate and invest in its Ingredient Solutions business located in Atchison, Kansas, including the previously announced $16.7 million-dollar texturized protein facility that is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The company will also continue to operate and invest in its Lawrenceburg, Indiana distillery operations.
“After careful deliberation, we have concluded that the closure of our Atchison distillery is a necessary step to further align the product categories we participate in and their supporting operations, consistent with our long-term strategic objectives,” said David Colo, president and CEO of MGP Ingredients, Inc.
“The additional supply of grain neutral spirits and industrial alcohol that has entered the market during the past few years has had a meaningful and structural impact on the market. Combining these market factors with the increase in local corn basis costs during this same time frame has resulted in these product lines no longer being economically viable for the company.
“The decision to close the Atchison distillery unfortunately represents the best path forward. We are grateful for the unwavering support and contributions of our distillery employees, customers, suppliers, and the people of Atchison. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition as we wind down operations at the distillery between now and the end of the year, and we look forward to continuing to support the Atchison community.”
The Kraft Heinz Company is set to make a more than $400 million investment to build one of the largest automated CPG distribution centers in North America.
Located in DeKalb, Ill., the 775,000 square-foot national distribution facility will feature state-of-the-art automation technology and national railway access, enabling Kraft Heinz to drive greater supply chain efficiencies and distribute its products to retail and foodservice customers faster than ever. The facility is expected to bring more than 150 jobs to the region.
“As we continue on our journey to lead the future of food, our talented North America teams and collaborative external partners are innovating at a rapid pace to expand our supply chain capabilities,” said Carlos Abrams-Rivera, executive vice president and president, North America at Kraft Heinz.
“The DeKalb distribution center is expected to play a critical role in our larger distribution strategy, moving more than 60 percent of Kraft Heinz dry goods in North America through our automated facilities. It’s a testament to the dynamic, out-of-the-box thinking of our supply chain teams whose work enables us to operate with greater efficiency and agility every day.”
The facility’s design includes a 24/7 automated storage and retrieval system with the ability to drive twice the volume for Kraft Heinz customers, distributing more than 60 percent of the company’s foodservice business and approximately 30 percent of all dry goods.
It is also expected to contribute to Kraft Heinz’s ability to achieve its broader ESG ambitions to reduce its operational environmental footprint through the implementation of sustainable technology and solutions to reduce the waste produced at the facility and minimize its overall environmental impact.
“We’re driving end-to-end transformation across our entire supply chain, investing in automated technology and digitized solutions to increase the agility of our logistics operations,” said Erin Mitchell, vice president of logistics and head of network restructuring at Kraft Heinz.
“The construction of our new DeKalb distribution center is the latest example of this transformation in action. We have designed it to help ensure the delivery of our delicious, innovative and iconic products at the right time for our customers and consumers for years to come.”
Kraft Heinz has partnered with Trammell Crow Company (TCC), a global commercial real estate developer; Krusinski Construction Company (KCC), as general contractor; Daifuku, as integrated logistics automation provider; and the City of DeKalb and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) on the development of the facility.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Kraft Heinz to develop this innovative project, working alongside KCC to deliver a state-of-the-art facility for Kraft Heinz,” said Josh Udelhofen, senior vice president with TCC Chicago.
“Located in the master planned ChicagoWest Business Center, which TCC has developed in partnership with Jerry Krusinski and his KCC team, Kraft Heinz will be located near other large-scale distribution companies in DeKalb. The area benefits from a strong labor pool, Enterprise Zone incentives, as well as an ideal location along I-88. We look forward to reaching the next construction milestone and moving this project along to deliver the facility to Kraft Heinz in 2025.”
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
