Market

Natura Buona fruit juices (100% juice with zero added sugar, preservatives or colourings) are being given a new look to appeal more directly to end consumers.

In its original and innovative new marketing campaign, the Italy-based Melinda consortium has chosen to print the faces of 1,000 growers on 3.2 million packs of apples, each with a personal message.

Metsä Board, a leading European producer of premium paperboards made with pure fresh fibres, has launched the second edition of Better with Less–Design Challenge, the competition that invites students and designers to create new eco-friendly packaging solutions that combine environmental sustainability with the primary functions of conventional packaging.

As part of its strategy to expand in South Africa and further into Sub-Saharan Africa, PepsiCo has agreed to acquire all shares of the Pioneer Foods group for a total figure of $1.7 billion (11 times FY2020E consensus EBITDA).

Sirmax Group, an Italian multinational (based in Cittadella, Padua) specialising in the production of thermoplastic resin compounds such as polymers and technopolymers, is stepping up its efforts in the context of the circular economy.

Negotiations for the sale of leading Italian frozen bakery business Dolciaria Acquaviva to Luxemburg-based private equity company Ergon Capital Partners were concluded on 31 July.

Swiss food giant Nestlé topped last year’s global dairy industry rankings with revenue of €20.6 billion, followed by Lactalis at €17.6 billion and Danone at €15.2 billion.

Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Bulgaria has invested more than €24 million in a new PET bottle production line which will double production capacity at the Kostinbrod plant in western Bulgaria.

The Canadian frozen french fry giant McCain Foods has announced a US $100 million investment to build its first factory in Brazil, which will be located in Araxá, Minas Gerais state.

Belgian beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to sell its Australian subsidiary Carlton & United Breweries to Japanese group Asahi for US $11.3 billion.

According to the latest edition of the Osservatorio Immagino report, following a 2.3% upturn in 2017, sales growth of “free from” products slowed in 2018 to just +0.1%, reaching €6.8 billion of sales in supermarkets and hypermarkets.

Belgian holding company CTH Invest, a Ferrero affiliate, has spent $300 million to acquire Danish brand Kelsen, producer of the famous Kjeldsens and Royal Dansk butter cookies owned by Campbell Soup Company.

Sidel, a manufacturer of machinery and equipment for blow moulding of plastic containers belonging to the Swiss group Tetra Laval, has announced the acquisition of Cognac Moules Emballages Plastiques (COMEP), a French company that produces moulds for PET.

As part of its sustainability programme, Lavazza has unveiled its first 100% compostable Eco Caps coffee capsules in London.

RadiciGroup, a Bergamo, Italy-based company specialising in the chemicals, technopolymers and synthetic fibres business, posted a record €1.211 billion revenue in 2018 (+6%).

Nestlé Uzbekistan has sold its water and dairy business to French group Lactalis.

Plastics and the challenges of sustainable packaging in general were the subject of a roundtable discussion held in Milan on 24 June during the presentation of the Ferrero group’s 9th corporate social responsibility report.

After announcing its intention a year ago to shed its Packaging Technology unit, Bosch recently signed an agreement to sell its packaging machinery business based in Waiblingen to a newly incorporated entity managed by Luxembourg-based private equity fund CVC Capital Partners.

Nissin Food Products, Japan’s leading instant noodle company, is planning to redesign the containers of its flagship Cup Noodle brand to reduce the use of petroleum-based products.

Antares Vision,a multinational producer of visual inspection systems, track & trace systems and smart data management, has signed an agreement with international pharmaceutical group Recordati.