Year: 2021

Nestlé Waters Egypt launches country’s first water bottle made of 100% recycled plastics

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EGYPT – Nestlé Pure Life, world’s largest bottled water brand has launched Egypt’s first water bottles made of 100% recycled plastics (rPET), spearheading its move towards more sustainable packaging. The new bottles, coming in 1.5 litres format are made of high quality, food-grade recovered and reprocessed plastics. The innovation was first introduced and approved by the European Union as safe to use, ensuring quality and safety. The move is in line with Nestlé’s global commitment to increase the usage of rPET in packaging materials by 50% worldwide by 2025. To…

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Unilever Nigeria turns to profitability registering 152% rise in earnings in 9 months

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NIGERIA – Leading Nigerian FMCG company, Unilever Nigeria, has recorded 31.3% increase in revenue to N58.72billion (US$143m) for the nine months period ended September 30, 2021, against N44.73billion (US$109.03m) registered in the prior corresponding period. The revenue growth was driven by increased earnings in its food products category which gained 21.4% in revenue to N30.5billion (US$74.35m) from N25.1billion (US$61.18m) recorded in 2020. Meanwhile, analysis of its results showed that revenue from Home & Personal Care rose by 44% to N28.3billion (US$68.98m) from N19.6billion (US$47.78m). The consumer goods company was able…

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Tyson Foods invests US$58m in expanding Texas poultry plant to meet surging demand

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USA – American multinational meat processing company , Tyson Foods Inc. Is planning to inject US$58 million into its Seguin poultry processing plant amid surging demand for poultry in Texas.   The project will add approximately 40,000 square feet to the 109,000-square-foot plant, Tyson Foods said in a statement.  The additional space will enable the meat processor to install new processing equipment even as it continues to focus on supplying foodservice customers.   “We’re excited about the expansion project at Seguin which is part of our commitment to meet increasing customer and consumer…

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Biscuit International to extend European leadership position with acquisition of Continental Bakeries

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NETHERLANDS –  Biscuit International is seeking to reinforce its position in the European private label biscuit and bread substitute market through the acquisition of Continental Bakeries from its majority shareholder, Goldman Sachs Asset Management.  The two companies share numerous synergies, both being leading European manufacturers of private label goods like biscuits, bread replacements and toast.  “The proposed acquisition of Continental Bakeries is a game changer for Biscuit International,” said Giampaolo Schiratti, chief executive officer of Biscuit International.   “Continental Bakeries is a very well-established company in Europe, and its addition to our group will…

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ADM invests in biotechnology company Acies Bio, unveils plans to sell ethanol facility

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SLOVENIA – American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation, ADM has made a leading equity investment in Slovenian biotechnology company Acies Bio, for an undisclosed sum.  Acies Bio specialises in R&D and manufacturing services in functional food, sustainable agriculture, and bio-based industrial applications.   The company develops and scale synthetic biology and precision fermentation technology for these sectors.  The investment gives  ADM access to these capabilities, enabling it to expand its projects more quickly within the precision microbial fermentation industry.   “Microbial technology is unlocking disruptive opportunities in sustainable agriculture, sustainable materials and fuels, and alternative proteins,” said Ian Pinner,…

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Uganda attains 49.5% rise in value of coffee exports in September due to favourable global prices

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UGANDA – Uganda has fetched US$66.62 million from the export of 585,576 60-kilo bags of coffee in September 2021, registering a 49.56% rise in value and 15.82% jump in quantity compared to the same month last year. Despite the rise in both quantity and value obtained from the export of the green gold during the period under review, September’s production was much lower compared to the previous month’s traded volume which stood at 700,035 bags worth US$75.09 million. The recently exported amount comprised of 543,279 bags of Robusta valued at…

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Stora Enso invests US$113m in Swedish facility to expand board production

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SWEDEN – Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer, Stora Enso Stora Enso has invested €97 million (about US$112.63 million) to expand board production at its Skoghall site in Sweden.  The investment at Skogall will enable Stora Enso to accelerate growth and profit in end-use segments, including liquid packaging board and coated unbleached kraftliner.  In addition, the company will also initiate a “pre-feasibility study to convert the second, currently idle, line at its Oulu site in Finland, into a packaging board line”.   “Skoghall is one of our key integrated production sites for eco-friendly packaging materials,” said Hannu Kasurinen,…

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Tetra Pak plans US$33.9m investment in South African factory to enhances its sustainability profile

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SOUTH AFRICA – Tetra Pak, world’s leading food processing and packaging solutions company, has earmarked R500 million (US$33.9m) investments to upgrade and increase the production capability of its factory located in Pinetown-KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This investment reinforces the company’s commitment to the growth and success of the local operation and is a testament to the company’s vision “Make food safe and available, everywhere”. According to Tetra Pak, the upgrade will take place over a period of several years, commencing in the first quarter of 2022. Stefan Fageräng, Managing Director of…

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Ugandan poultry farm Sekajja Agro clinches US$1.8m investment from Yield Uganda Investment Fund

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UGANDA – Sekajja Agro Farms Limited (SAF), a Ugandan based poultry firm, has received UGX 6.79 billion (US$ 1.8 million) blended equity and long-term debt from Pearl Capital Partners’ managed fund, the Yield Uganda Investment. According to Pearl Capital, this is the fund’s tenth investment in the Ugandan agribusiness sector, to include US$1.54 million investment in AMFRI Farms, a pioneering organic farming; and US$2.5 million support to Pura Organic Agro Tech Ltd, on the cassava value chain. SAF’s main operations entails rearing of day-old-chicks (DOCs) until maturity and the distribution…

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Dairibord invests US$2 million to double UHT filling capacity of cartonised beverages

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ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe’s leading milk processor, Dairibord Holdings, has invested US$2 million in additional Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) filling and packing equipment, which will double capacity for cartonised beverages by year-end. Recently, the food processing company invested about US$1.5 million into an ammonia plant, which has since been commissioned and the technology was expected to see growth in ice-cream production, improving product portfolio mix and margin performance going forward. In a trading update for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the milk giant said the business was geared to take full…

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