Food

Cattel, a Veneto-based company specialising in the supply of food products to the Horeca channel, has opened its new headquarters in Noventa di Piave (VE), a 35,000 m2 site with a 16,000 m2 covered area used as a warehouse.

As part of a long-term ethical commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of its entire production process, Roncadin has made its factory even more eco-friendly.

These figures reflect 6% annual growth in 2018 and a total 31% growth over the period 2013-2018. Between 2013 and 2018 the growth in dog food sales by value was similar to that of the pet care sector as a whole at 6% per year, while growth in volume was smaller (1.5% per year).

UK-based dairy company Lancashire Farm Dairies, a company specialising in the production of 100% British milk yogurt, has opened a new 6,500 square-metre facility in Rochdale, Greater Manchester which will double the amount of milk the dairy can process.

Givaudan, a leading Swiss group in the flavours and fragrances sector, has officially opened a new flavours manufacturing facility in Pune, India.

From 1 January 2019, the COIM group has started the production of inks for flexible packaging under brand name Coiminks

GAC - Grupo Alimentario Citrus, a Spanish agri-food company operating in the field of fresh produce, has acquired Florette Italia (Novara) and the Swiss company Josef Müller (Canton of Zug), both specialising in ready-prepared salads.

Ferrero has beaten off a rival bid from the US firm Hostess Brands to acquire Kellogg Company’s iconic cookie, fruit and fruit-flavoured snack, ice cream cone and pie crust businesses.

US multinational Kraft Heinz is preparing to sell the Italian assets of Plasmon, the well-known brand of baby biscuits produced in the plant in Latina in the Lazio region.

Illy Group, an international brand operating in the food and beverage sector, has diversified into the premium chocolate segment with the acquisition of the well-known British brand Prestat, inventor of truffles and supplier to the British royal family.

Italian agri-food exports to China set another all-time record in 2018 with sales of €450 million, a 260% increase over the last 10 years.

Amazon (revenue of $232.9 billion in 2018) is set to diversify into the food retail market.

Orsero (Savona, Italy), one of Europe’s largest distributors of fresh fruit and vegetables listed on the Aim Italia segment of the Milan Stock Exchange, has signed a €10 million agreement to acquire Fruttica, a French importer and wholesale distributor of fruit and vegetables, mainly of Italian origin.

To capitalise on surging cocoa powder consumption in Asia, Singapore stock market-listed agri-business Olam has acquired an 85% stake in YTS Holdings, the 100% owner of Indonesia’s largest cocoa processor PT Bumitangerang Mesindotama (BT Cocoa).

As the deadline for submission of bids approaches, Ferrero is vying with Mondelez and a consortium comprising US-based private equity firms KKR and Bain Capital for the acquisition of Australia’s Arnott’s Biscuits, owned by Campbell.

Maviglia, a Belgian company with Italian origins specialising in the production of fresh and frozen pasta, is making a major investment in a new production plant in the municipality of Balgaranovo near Burgas, Bulgaria.

Coca Cola HBC has begun the process of acquisition of leading Serbian confectionery company Bambi from Mid Europa Partners.

Brazilian meat giant JBS is investing $20 million to expand the bacon operations of its Plumrose business in Ottumwa, USA.

PepsiCo has announced that it will build a new savoury snack manufacturing facility in the city of Multan in central Pakistan.

IMA has signed an agreement to buy 70% of Spreafico Automation S.r.l. The company, based in Calolziocorte, Lecco, and owned by the Spreafico family, is an important player in the design, production and marketing of automatic machines for filling and preparing single-serve capsules for coffee and other soluble products.