Day: September 21, 2021

Global packaging solutions provider Sidel to establish presence in Kenya

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KENYA – Sidel, a leading provider of equipment and services solutions for packaging beverage, food, home and personal care products has announced that it will set base in East Africa’s largest economy, Kenya in 2022. The company, one of the operating units of Tetra Laval, has indicated it will open a new office in the country’s capital-Nairobi, to support its customers’ growth with the highest standard of local engineering capability, tailored made solutions and local customer service. “Africa has always been an important market, one which the company will continue…

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KALRO joins forces with Syngenta Foundation to boost potato production in Kenya

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KENYA – The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) has partnered with Syngenta Foundation, a not-for-profit organization supporting the productivity of small-scale farmers, to boost potato production in the country. The collaboration will be centred mainly around the improvement of the supply of certified quality seeds to the farmers, a real challenge for the actors of the sector.  According to reports by Business Daily, it will involve increasing high quality certified potato seed availability to farmers by 25 percent through rapid multiplication, increased field seed bulking, and capacity building…

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Alternative protein company Good Meat raises US$267M to increase capacity, accelerate R&D for cell-cultured meat

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USA – Good Meat, a division of San Fransisco-based food technology company Eat Just, has secured US$97 million in new funding, adding to the initial US$170 million publicized in May.  According to a statement from Eat Just, Good Meat will use the funds to increase capacity and accelerate R&D for high-quality, real meat made directly from animal cells.  The overall US$267 million fundraise is the largest to date in the burgeoning cultivated meat sector, which analysts predict could become a US$25 billion global industry by 2030.  Investors in the US$267m…

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DoorDash launches alcohol delivery service in Canada, Australia, US as HelloFresh invests in human capital acquisition

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 US – US-based food delivery firm DoorDash Inc has announced plans to launch alcohol delivery across 20 U.S. states, Australia and Canada, facing up to rivals Uber Technologies Inc and GoPuff in the sector’s key growth market. After soaring in popularity during pandemic-driven lockdowns, food delivery platforms are looking to expand their businesses by offering delivery of beer, wine, and spirits.  Alcoholic beverages offer a new opportunity for growth as online sales have been skyrocketing since the onset of the pandemic.  According to IWSR, U.S. alcohol e-commerce sales approached US$5.6 billion in 2020, up from roughly US$3 billion last year. …

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Owners of South Africa based Consol Glass mull listing entity on JSE

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SOUTH AFRICA – South African investment company Brait, has gone back to the drawing board and revived plans of listing its glass packaging business, Consol Glass on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). This was revealed by parties close to the entity, according to reports by Reuters, indicating that the planned exit of Brait from Consol comes three years after a failed attempt of an initial public offering (IPO) three years ago. In 2018 the consortium, which also includes the private equity arm of insurer Old Mutual and Sanlam, wanted to…

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Egyptian startup connecting retailers to supplier Cartona secures US$4.5 Million Pre-Series A funding round

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EGYPT – Cartona, a B2B platform connecting retailers to manufacturers and wholesalers has raised US$4.5 million in a Pre-Series A funding round. The fundraising was led by Global Ventures, a Dubai-based, international venture capital firm, with participation from Kepple Africa Ventures, T5 Ventures, and a group of angel investors. Cartona will use the clinched investment to deepen the capabilities of its technology to further enhance the user experience and introduce embedded finance within the product and order cycle. Founded in August 2020, the startup solves the supply-chain and operational challenges…

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Africa’s first lab grown meat developer Mzansi beefs up leadership team as it readies growth

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SOUTH AFRICA – Mzansi Meat, Africa’s first cultivated meat start-up based in South Africa has appointed Dr Wade Edwards (PhD) to be its new Research and Development (R&D) Director. Dr Wade brings with him over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of research and innovation in the Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Engineering sectors. In addition to his PhD in Biotechnology and majors in Microbiology and Biochemistry from Rhodes University, he participated in the Executive Education Programme hosted by the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Founded last…

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Nestlé India doubles down on women employment as Grofers works on building an inclusive work environment

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INDIA –   Nestlé India, a leading food manufacturer known for its Maggi noodles and Nescafe coffee brand, is increasing the number of its women employees as part of its gender diversity efforts.   According to company Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan, around 23 per cent of Nestle India’s workforce are women, a major improvement from only 16% in 2015.   “That is not the end, we would like to do much better than this. And in fact last year in 2020, 42 per cent of all the recruitment that we did within the company were…

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India to introduce ‘front of package label’ to help consumers make healthier food choices

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INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced plans to introduce front-of-package (FoP) labeling on packaged foods to help consumers make healthier food choices.  The move by the Indian food regulator is in response to concern over increasing consumption of junk food leading to obesity in youth and children in India.  According to a recently published study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in India has increased rapidly in recent decades and is projected to worsen during the forecast period ending 2040.   According to the PLoS study, the prevalence…

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