Year: 2019

Dairy alternatives diversify as the consumer case and complexities evolve

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USA – Plant-based innovation in food and beverages is continuing to flourish as consumer interest in health, sustainability and ethics, which ties into the broader consumer lifestyle trend towards cleaner living continue to bulge. A recent Innova Market Insights report highlighted ‘The Plant Based Revolution’ as the number two of the Top 10 Trends expected in 2020, in which the dairy alternatives category represents a key battlefront in this consumer-driven revolt. Innova Market Insights has now released a new report from on the global dairy alternatives market highlighting the complexities…

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Castel Malawi relaunches Sobo Squash following lift of ban on use of tartrazine

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MALAWI – Castel Malawi Group, a leading producer and distributor of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Malawi has relaunched Sobo Orange Squash drink into the market. Castel Malawi Managing Director Horve Milhade said he is delighted that the product is finally back on the market, “I have to assume that our obsession every single day is to bring happiness to our customers.” The relaunch follows the lift of ban of use of food additive tartrazine in production of beverages by Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) last month. The ban on…

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Thai Union increases stake in Thammachart Seafood to expand retail business

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THAILAND – Bangkok-based seafoods products producer, Thai Union Group has increased its stake in Thammachart Seafood Retail to 65 percent seeking to expand its footprint in Thailand’s domestic seafood retail business. Thai Union has acquired an additional 39.9 percent stake in Thammachart Seafood bringing the company’s shareholding in the seafoods retailer to 65%. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The group made its initial investment in Thammachart in 2018 when it snapped a minority 25.1 percent shareholding. Commenting on the deal, Rittirong Boonmechote, President – Global Frozen and…

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French wine maker Delas Frères opens new US$20m winery

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FRANCE – Rhône producer Delas Frères has opened a new €18 million (US$20 million) winery and cellar in Tain l’Hermitage, Southern France. The new 6,000 square metre facility has added 36 individually thermoregulated conical tanks, two cellars of 777 barrels and a tasting cellar for 20,000 bottles to the older historic cellar in Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. The new winery received its first grapes in September this year and will be used to vinify and age grapes and wines from the estate’s holdings in the northern Rhône. Dela’s Saint-Jean-de-Muzols cellar will continue to…

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Local food delivery start up to take on space left by Jumia in Rwanda

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RWANDA – Following the exit of Jumia, Africa’s largest e-commerce platform in the Rwandan market, a local start-up, CanGo, says it is preparing to embark on fresh operations to fill the void that will have been left in online food delivery a space that is becoming increasingly popular. CanGo, a local startup that was previously engaged in taxi-hailing service, SafeMotos has started venturing into the food delivery business segment and has indicated its mobile application will soon be available on the App Store and Google Play store. Barrett Nash, one…

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Maple Leaf Foods secures first sustainability-linked credit facility in Canada

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CANADA – Meat and plant protein producer, Maple Leaf Foods has secured sustainability-linked terms for its credit facilities – integrating environmental targets with improved financing. The company recently signed an amendment to its existing credit facilities to include financing terms that reduce the interest rate on the lending facility as key sustainability targets are met. According to Maple Leaf the amendments reflect the company’s goal to create compelling business value through advancing its vision to be the most sustainable protein company. The credit facilities consist of an unsecured committed revolving line…

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Tulip Addis Water set to introduce simple water filters into the Ethiopian Market

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ETHIOPIA – Tulip Addis Water, a local manufacturer that specialises in water treatment technology, invested 60 million Br (US$1.89m) to set up a tabletop water filter company in Debre Birhan, Amhara Regional State, reports Addis Fortune. Having a capacity of producing 500,000 filter units a year, the plant located 130Km from the capital city will supply 13lt and 20lt filter models to the market. The company plans to sell the smaller filter for 700 Br (US$22) and the larger version for 1,000 Br (US$31). The construction of the plant was…

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Denny Mushrooms launches eco-friendly punnets made from sugarcane by-product

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SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s leading mushroom brand, Denny Mushrooms owned by Libstar Holdings has launched its100% compostable punnets in the South African market. The compostable punnets are made from Bagasse, which is a natural by-product of sugarcane refinement, the fibre that remains after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. The pulp requires minimal processing and elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching to turn it into a woven, high-strength paper that is biodegradable and compostable. The compostable punnet and shrink-wrap covering, which is recyclable, results in a more sustainably-packaged product.…

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Task force on standards and quality infrastructure reforms in Kenya appointed

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KENYA – A task force on standards and quality infrastructure reforms has been appointed by the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives of Kenya, that will push reforms in institutions/agencies involved in the standards and quality infrastructure ecosystem in the country. Known as the National Task Force on Standards and Quality Infrastructure Reforms, it is expected to review and evaluate the weaknesses and shortcomings of the entire Standards and Quality Infrastructure, institutional architecture and arrangement. This is in bid to meet the country’s goals of managing and mitigating…

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Sheffield Africa opens new show room in Kenya to enhance customer experience

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KENYA – East Africa’s leading Commercial Kitchen, Laundry and Cold Room solutions provider, Sheffield Africa has opened a new equipment showroom at their branch office in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa.  The new show room will be housed on the 1st floor of Petro City Complex located on Links Road in Nyali. The launch event took place in December, at the company’s Mombasa offices and was attended by several notable the chefs and entrepreneurs including Chef Maliha Mohammed, the recent Guinness World Record Breaker in cooking for the longest duration.…

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