Berkmann Wine Cellars secures renowned South African agency Lothian Vineyard
UK wine distributor Berkmann Wine Cellars has grown its extensive premium portfolio with the addition of South African wine brand Lothian Vineyard.
The Lothian Vineyard estate is owned by Gavin and Ewen Wilson, who hail from three generations of renowned Cape winemakers, having grown up on their grandmother’s Rust-en-Vrede vineyard in the 1950s and 60s.
Originally from Scotland, the brothers showcase a dedication to excellence and heritage. These are values that are reflected in their authentic and traditionalist approach to Burgundian-influenced winemaking and their choice of winemaker, Richard Kershaw, a world-renowned Master of Wine.
Lothian Vineyard’s unique location on the banks of the Palmiet River is perfect for growing grapes to produce elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The complex soils of the vineyard provide a diverse palette of flavours for the winemaker to play with, resulting in similarly complex wines – delicate fruit and elegant structure are lifted by intense aromas to give a versatile yet refreshing, food-friendly style.
Alex Hunt MW, purchasing director of Berkmann Wine Cellars, added: “Lothian Vineyard represents a new high-water mark for South African wine within the BWC portfolio. This pair of delicious, complex, food-friendly wines are some of the country’s very best – as witness their recent IWC success – but against the backdrop of spiralling burgundy prices, they manage still to offer exceptional value. Richard Kershaw MW is a great talent and we are thrilled to be working with him once again.”
Pernod Ricard invests in ecoSPIRITS
Pernod Ricard’s venture capital fund, Convivialité Ventures, has taken a minority share in ecoSPIRITS, a circular economy technology startup focusing on low carbon, low waste distribution systems for the premium wine and spirits industry.
Pernod Ricard joined a $10 million Series A funding of ecoSPIRITS, along with New York-based circular economy investment fund, Closed Loop Partners and leading Asian and global investors, including food sector private equity investor, Proterra Asia, Singapore-based growth stage investor Pavilion Capital, and ecoSPIRITS’ existing investor, Wavemaker Partners.
ecoSPIRITS’ closed-loop distribution system provides a powerful cost advantage and drastically reduces waste and carbon emissions by avoiding the production and transportation of glass bottles and other secondary packaging.
In March 2022 Pernod Ricard was one of the first global drinks companies to partner with ecoSPIRITS for the distribution of some of its premium brands in Hong Kong and Singapore. Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin, and Havana Club rum are transported in bulk and delivered to hospitality venues on a fully reusable 4.5-liter glass container, thus reducing waste and carbon emissions resulting from the production and transportation of bottles and other secondary packaging.
The new funding will be used to strengthen ecoSPIRITS’ leadership position and accelerate its research and development program. It will help the company scale up its hardware, software and Internet-of-Things (IoT) research and development program, expand operations in key markets worldwide, including the United States, and grow its regional customer and engineering teams in Miami, London, Singapore and Shanghai. The investment comes as Pernod Ricard is in the process of expanding its partnership with ecoSPIRITS to markets outside of Asia.
Stéphane Longuet, co-founder and Managing Director of Convivialité Ventures, said: “We are very pleased to participate in this investment which will help develop a company offering such an innovative solution to our industry, by drastically reducing waste and carbon emissions. ecoSPIRITS’ approach is perfectly in line with our Group’s objectives to reduce its carbon emissions and we are looking forward to using it on a large scale around the world.”
Sui Ling Cheah, ecoSPIRITS executive board chairman, said: “We are thrilled with the successful close of our Series A round, which not only validates ecoSPIRITS’ impressive progress in building a comprehensive technology platform, but also marks a significant milestone in our journey to global scale. We are equally honoured to welcome leading investors to our journey such as Closed Loop Partners, Proterra Asia, Pavilion Capital and Convivialité Ventures. The future gets brighter when more resources are invested in circular economy innovation.”
The Coca-Cola Company to build new fairlife production facility in New York
The Coca-Cola Company has selected Webster, New York as its preferred location for a new fairlife production facility as part of the brand’s continued expansion in the Northeast market.
The new 100-acre facility will be located in the Town of Webster, just outside of Rochester, New York, and is expected to source from local milk co-operatives to produce fairlife’s dairy-based beverages before distributing them to retailers across the region.
fairlife CEO Tim Doelman said: “Consumer demand for fairlife products is at an all-time high, and a new production facility will allow us to significantly increase capacity and deliver fairlife to even more households across the country.
“As we continue to grow in the Northeast, Webster’s proximity and access to best-in-class dairy farmers make it an excellent location to support our next phase of growth in the region and beyond. We are sincerely grateful for the collaboration from Governor Hochul and her administration throughout this process.”
The dairy industry is New York’s largest agricultural sector and contributes significantly to the state’s economy. The Town of Webster is well situated between high-quality dairy cooperatives in the Rochester and Niagara regions, with a surrounding workforce that has the relevant manufacturing and food and beverage experience, making it the ideal location for fairlife’s expansion.
“This decision by fairlife to expand their operations in Monroe County marks the next chapter in New York’s agricultural success story,” New York’s Governor Hochul said.
“New York’s dairy industry serves as a crucial economic engine for our state, and this $650 million investment from fairlife will create jobs and economic impact, particularly in the Finger Lakes. Coming from a family of dairy farmers in Ireland, I am proud to have secured this major opportunity to position our state as one of the nation’s top dairy producers.”
Groundbreaking and construction of the new facility are expected to begin in Q4 2023, following due diligence and appropriate approvals. The facility is anticipated to be operational beginning in Q4 2025.
Independent drinks business, Global Brands, reports record financial year
Chesterfield-based independent drinks business, Global Brands, has broken records for their financial year ending 30 September 2022.
Global Brands, owners of a portfolio including Franklin & Sons, Hooch, VK, and more has reported double-digit turnover growth for financial year 2022, driven by record international growth, successful NPD launches including Lustre liqueurs, and canned cocktail and RTD sales.
The company has reported a 26.6% increase in turnover, rising to £84.4 million, versus sales of £66.6 million in the 20/21 financial year.
The company is now the biggest supplier of branded canned cocktails to the UK off trade, and the biggest supplier of ready to drink products into the UK on premises across their portfolio. The company’s portfolio of drinks brands includes VK, Hooch, Franklin & Sons, All Shook Up, Shake Baby Shake, Corky’s, Beviamo, Kick Energy, Lustre, and Amigos Tequila Beer.
Global Brands also reported a 50% increase in international business. Having launched Franklin & Sons in the USA in 2019, just as the pandemic struck, the international arm of the business is now seeing significant growth, reaching £5 million in turnover for the first time in the history of the business.
Profitability increased, with an operating of £6.9 million compared to £6.1 million in the previous financial year.
Steve Perez, founder and chairman at Global Brands, said: “Global Brands, the UK’s leading independent drinks business, has had another fantastic year. 21/22 has been our sixth successive year of growth, almost doubling our turnover in the last five years.
“We’ve recently purchased the trademarks for Hooch, Hooper’s, and Reef from Molson Coors, and have lots of exciting new products in the pipeline. We’re now the biggest supplier of branded canned cocktails in the UK off trade, and the biggest supplier of RTDs into the on trade.
“Franklin & Sons is now the second biggest premium tonic in the UK on trade, and we’ve seen fantastic growth for the brand in the UK and especially internationally, in markets in Asia, through Europe, and from our newly opened office in the USA.
“We’re unique in that we create everything in-house, from design, marketing, and NPD through to the distribution of our brands from here in Chesterfield and Clay Cross – areas where we’ve invested just under £3 million in the last year. From our base in Derbyshire, we employ almost 200 people, and our success is down to the fantastic teams that drive these brands forward.
“While economic conditions have been challenging in the six months since we’ve published our accounts, especially in regard to energy and raw material costs, we’re confident going forward that the company will continue its momentum in the next financial year.”
Global Brands has started financial year 22/23 in a strong position. Late last year saw the hard launch of premium tonics, sodas, and soft drinks brand Franklin & Sons into the USA, to further capitalise on international growth, while the company acquired the trademarks for Hooch, Hooper’s, and Reef from Molson Coors, investing in the brands with the security of owning the equity.
Alongside this, Global Brands has launched an all-new VK & SODA extension for their no.1 RTD for students eight years running, VK. The new range delivers on demand for zero sugar and lower calorie drinks, while retaining the flavourful and tasty essence of the original VK range, engaging with RTD consumers, and attracting the segment of consumers that opt for beverages with fewer calories than typical RTDs.
A £2 million expansion of the Global Brands Distribution Centre was also recently completed, increasing capacity from 30 million to 40 million products stored.
Frozen food wholesaler acquires competitor
One of the UK’s largest independent family run frozen food wholesalers, Hopwells has acquired one of its competitors, Windsor Foodservice.
The move will support Hopwell’s strategic plan to expand its service offering and geographical reach.
Hopwells was established in 1975 and is headquartered in Nottingham. The wholeslaer operates a fleet of over 110 vehicles from six distribution depots throughout England and offers its customer base a comprehensive range of frozen food products and chilled goods, including premium fresh meat and poultry from various branded manufacturers and suppliers.
Windsor Foodservice, which is also a family run business, was set up in 1989 and is headquartered in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The business employs over 70 staff and supplies over 3,000 catering customers.
In 2013 the business created Pete’s Patisseries – a top of the range luxury dessert range; and in 2017 launched Windsor Fresh Meat which offered top quality meat products at competitive prices.
Browne Jacobson corporate lawyer, Sam Sharp and associate Ruairi O’Grady advised on the deal.
Sam Sharp, who leads the firm’s UK & Ireland food and drink practice, said: “Both Hopwells and Windsor are well respected in their markets, are built on strong family values, and have excellent reputations for providing quality service to their longstanding customer base, so it was a pleasure to have been involved in the merger of these two similar businesses.
“This move will enable the newly merged business group to further develop and grow its product portfolio and position itself as a major player in the food wholesaler sector.”
Tristan Hopwell, Managing Director of Hopwells, added: “Hopwells is an independent family business which prides itself on its traditional family values. Windsor is also a family business, and we both celebrate the successes our family ethos brings to our customers.
“Hopwells and Windsor Foodservice have both grown our businesses from the ground up, we’re both excited to bring together our joint experiences to form a leading position within wholesale.”
Amcor to acquire Moda Systems
Amcor, a developer and producer of responsible packaging solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Moda Systems, a manufacturer of automated protein packaging machines.
Based in New Zealand, privately-held Moda Systems designs, assembles, and supports innovative, high-performance modular vacuum packaging solutions for the meat, poultry, and dairy industries. The acquisition will complement Amcor’s existing strength in film, positioning the company to offer an end-to-end packaging solution that encompasses primary packaging, equipment, on-site technical service, and parts.
“This acquisition will enable Amcor to offer an exciting new option and choice in automated protein packaging, making us the only flexible packaging manufacturer to own a high-speed, rotary equipment solution for fresh meat,” said Amcor Flexibles North America (AFNA) president Fred Stephan.
“Combined with our best-in-class film portfolio, we see great strategic value in adding Moda’s automation technology, and technical expertise and services, for a range of customizable format solutions beyond a standard shrink bag. This transaction will enable Amcor to further enhance our winning value proposition for our global protein processing customers.”
Moda’s rotary vacuum system improves operational efficiencies for protein producers, enabling them to optimize labor, improve safety, and reduce waste. The system is designed for ease of use in connecting, operating, maintaining, and cleaning and improves throughput and quality. Combined with Amcor’s portfolio of meat, poultry, seafood, and cheese shrink packaging options, this new solution is expected to further enhance the value Amcor delivers to protein producers.
“We’re delighted to join forces with Amcor, an industry leader that shares our commitment to innovation and customer service and support,” said Moda Systems founder and CEO Richard Newcombe.
“Together, we will deliver innovative expertise at scale, with a mutual dedication to outperformance. Our complementary capabilities will accelerate Moda’s founding mission to offer the most advanced vacuum packaging solutions for our customers.”
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the June 2023 quarter.
Sigma reaches agreement to acquire majority stake in Los Altos Foods
Sigma Alimentos, a company dedicated to the production, marketing, and distribution of quality branded foods, has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Los Altos Foods, a Hispanic Cheese and Cream producer in the United States.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Los Altos Foods is a producer of authentic Mexican cheese products positioned for the multicultural North American consumer market. The company has a solid track record of 24+ years of operations, during which it has built the successful Los Altos brand.
The company operates one plant near Los Angeles, California, providing jobs for more than 260 employees. The transaction involves an 85% stake in the company; the founding family would retain the remaining portion. Los Altos generates approximately US $100 million in annual revenue.
Rodrigo Fernandez, Sigma’s CEO, said: “This transaction is aligned with Sigma’s strategy and will allow us to continue growing the Core business by strengthening our position in a rapidly growing market that is gaining space in mainstream consumption. We are excited about the prospect of welcoming Los Altos, a great Hispanic cheese brand, to our portfolio.
“I’m confident that the sum of Los Altos and Sigma will allow us to better satisfy the needs of our customers and consumers. This transaction also enhances our existing network with production capacity on the west coast.”
Jesus Lobo, Sigma U.S. CEO, said: “Today, Sigma takes another step to expand its presence in the U.S. and continue increasing capacity in the Hispanic dairy market with a first plant in the west coast. We are looking forward to welcoming all Los Altos employees to Sigma and embark in a new journey, together.”
Nestlé inaugurates new research institute supporting sustainable food systems
Nestlé has officially inaugurated the Institute of Agricultural Sciences to help advance sustainable food systems by delivering science-based solutions in agriculture.
Speaking at the inauguration, Paul Bulcke, Nestlé chairman, said: “We have nurtured direct relationships with generations of farmers around the world. To continue providing people with tasty, nutritious and affordable foods, we need to transition together to a more sustainable food system. The new institute will strengthen our expertise and use our global network to support farming communities and protect our planet.”
With global food systems under pressure, there is an urgent need to accelerate new approaches that ensure a sustainable food supply for a growing world population while contributing to farmer livelihoods.
At the new institute, Nestlé experts screen and develop solutions in key focus areas such as plant science, agricultural systems and dairy livestock.
It builds on the company’s existing plant science expertise in coffee and cocoa. Over many years, Nestlé plant scientists have been contributing to Nestlé’s sustainable cocoa and coffee sourcing plans – the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and Nescafé Plan – including the recent discovery of more disease and drought-resistant coffee varieties.
Nestlé is now strengthening this expertise and expanding it to further crops, including pulses and grains. The institute is also working with farmers to trial regenerative agriculture practices to improve soil health and encourage biodiversity. In addition, experts explore novel approaches in dairy farming that have potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the areas of cow feed and manure management.
Jeroen Dijkman, head of Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences, said: “Our goal is to identify the most promising solutions to promote the production of nutritious raw materials while minimizing their environmental impact. We take a holistic approach and look at several factors including impact on yield, carbon footprint, food safety and cost, as well as the viability of scale-up.”
As part of Nestlé’s global R&D network, the institute collaborates closely with external partners including farmers, universities, research organizations, startups and industry partners to assess and develop science-based solutions. The new institute reaffirms the company’s commitment to strengthening Switzerland’s unique innovation ecosystem.
Speaking at the official opening, Valérie Dittli, State Councilor of the Swiss Canton of Vaud, said: “The new institute is strengthening the Canton of Vaud as a center of excellence for research and education in agriculture and nutrition. It also contributes to the efforts that are underway to support farmers in the face of climate change.
“Agriculture is at the core of quality nutrition and in the Canton of Vaud we can count on an innovative ecosystem that brings together partners including agricultural professionals, schools for higher education and private research centers such as the one from Nestlé.”
In addition to its new facilities at Nestlé Research in Switzerland, the institute incorporates an existing plant science research unit in France, and farms based in Ecuador, Côte d’Ivoire and Thailand, as well as partnerships with research farms.
If the crown fits…Sandwich King gives automated heat sealing systems its full ‘seal of approval’
For over 30 years, Leeds-based Sandwich King has ruled the lunchtime crowd and satisfied the nation’s taste buds. Serving up sandwich and snack favourites up and down the country, reaching schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, retailers and workplace caterers, for this family-owned enterprise, pride is everything.
Dedicated to mass-producing the highest-quality lunchtime products using only the finest ingredients, the family firm is dependent on another British leader in their field – Soken Engineering. So much so, Sandwich King gives their automated linear sandwich and food-to-go heat sealing systems its full ‘seal of approval’.
Soken has supported Sandwich King for over 15 years, initially with plastic packaging sealers. Eager to showcase their more sustainable packaging credentials to customers, over six years ago the sandwich manufacturer installed one of Soken’s highest-performance linear automated heat sealing machines – the HS60C. Capable of heat sealing 2,200 card skillet sandwich packs per hour, this investment was closely followed by the ‘Advanced’ model in the series. Giving Sandwich King even more packaging capacity with an additional machine that can seal 2,880 packs per hour.
Both automated twin-head systems used for sealing wedge-packed sandwiches, for an STS-accredited manufacturer of Sandwich King’s eminence, seal quality, presentation and machine reliability are the three most important considerations for Operations Manager Jason Hirst. “Quality and sustainability underpin the Sandwich King brand. All our packaging is now recyclable, and our card packs are bio-degradable. Our drive to deliver the highest quality products never stops,” he emphasises.
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Operating seven days a week, shipping lunch products across the nation daily inside a fleet of 18 vehicles branded with Sandwich King’s distinctive livery, machine uptime and rapid access to spare parts is clearly critical to this industrious business. “Our customers value quality, and we hold our suppliers to the same high principles,” affirms Jason.
Built in the UK to the highest engineering standards, the Soken linear HS60C range delivers repeatable optimum sealing. Featuring an innovative and accurate index location mechanism ensures sealing only occurs on seal edge areas of a pack. Soken Sales Manager Stephen Hawes explains why this is important: “Having a good reliable seal is vital in fast-paced sandwich manufacturing. This feature helps our customers to really minimise waste and avoid additional repacking labour costs.”
Simultaneously, the cavity top plate design protects sandwich products from heat during the sealing process. Again, this can significantly reduce wastage as there’s far less risk of heat damage occurring on the packaging window, affirms Stephen.
With so many contracts and orders to fulfil, although packing speed is clearly important to Sandwich King, Jason states that reliability is the most redeeming feature of Soken’s equipment. “We have always found their machines and service support to be first class.”
For any production manager, continuity and minimal disruptions on lines are critical. If spare parts are ever required, Jason is reassured knowing that Soken holds a number of parts in stock and can react instantly. “Being able to call upon their engineering expertise and have access to Soken’s service support makes a big difference. Being based in the same country means we can get parts and people to us quickly. Without hesitation, I would recommend Soken.”
Both Sandwich King and Soken Engineering are members of the British Sandwich & Food To Go Association.
Sandwich King currently has two Soken high speed linear automated heat sealing systems from the British firm’s HS60C range for packaging wedge sandwiches.
Sandwich King currently has two Soken high speed linear automated heat sealing systems from the British firm’s HS60C range for packaging wedge sandwiches. Summit features nature-positive foods
Nature-positive foods is top of the agenda of this year’s Sustainable Foods Summit Europe. For the first time, the executive summit will discuss the opportunities and challenges when moving to sustainable food production methods that encourage biodiversity. The executive summit will be hosted in Amsterdam on 15-16th June.
The 2-day summit will begin with an opening keynote on redesigning foods for circularity. How can food production be adapted so there is a positive impact on nature, producers / growers, as well as our health? What solutions are provided by organic and regenerative agriculture? What developments are occurring with upcycling? Case studies will be given of food producers making the transition to sustainable food production.
Approaches to move to nature-positive food production will be discussed. At the recent UN Biodiversity conference (COP15), 195 countries signed a historic deal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, including to protect 30% of land and water by 2030. Nature-positive production will play an important role in meeting this ambitious target: agriculture and food production systems that involve the protection, management, and restoration of nature. Martine van Weelden, Director of Capitals Coalition, will discuss the implications of COP15 on food and ingredient firms.
Stendert Krommendam, Chief People & Sustainability Officer at EcoTone, will share the company’s biodiversity action plan. EcoTone, one of the leading organic food companies in Europe, changed its name in 2020 to reflect its mission to restore and protect ecosystems. The company owns several leading organic & sustainable brands, including Allos, Bjorg, Bonneterre, Clipper, Danival, Isola Bio, Kallø, and Whole Earth.
Details will also be given of the new EU deforestation-free regulation. Recently passed by the European Parliament, the new law ensures products sold in the EU do not come from deforested or degraded land. The regulation applies to cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, as well as products made using these agricultural commodities.
Mark Varney will explain how the Fair to Nature standard encourages farmers to adopt biodiversity-friendly practices. Introduced by the Royal Society For The Protection of Birds, Fair To Nature is the first ethical label that focuses entirely on nature-positive food production in the UK. Industry experts will participate in a panel discussions on encouraging nature-positive production and stimulating consumer demand for such products.
Regenerative agriculture will also be featured at the Sustainable Foods Summit. Philippe Birker, Co-Founder of Climate Farmers, will discuss the implementation and scaling issues associated with transitioning to regenerative practices. The mission of his organisation is to build the infrastructure to scale regenerative agriculture in Europe. Other speakers will cover ingredients from regenerative agriculture and marketing issues.
Joanna Wierzbicka, Deputy Director of IFOAM Organics Europe, will be speaking about the future of environmental labelling. As the number of eco-labels on food products increases, there is confusion about their meaning and the environmental impact of products. There is growing debate about the methodology used to rate products by schemes such as Eco-Score. At the same time, the European Commission plans to set limits on what eco-labels can enter the market. It plans to only allow private schemes to be approved if they have higher environmental ambitions than existing ones in the market. It also proposes to ban any new public schemes (national or regional).
Upcycling is another emerging sector in the sustainable food industry. There is growing recognition that waste ingredients can be valorised from the food industry. However, setting up supply chains and marketing such products are major issues. Case studies will be given of companies using upcycled ingredients in their products. Robert Wilson, Co-Founder of Toast Ale, will show how his company is making beer from waste bread. The London-based brewery sells its beer to over 1,000 retailers and recently secured EUR 2.3 million investment to reduce its environmental impact and scale its sustainability projects.
Since 2009, the Sustainable Foods Summit has been covering major developments in sustainability and eco-labels in the food industry. The executive summit now takes place in the major geographic regions of the world: North & Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. The European edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit will be hosted at the Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre on 15-16th June. More information is available from https://sustainablefoodssummit.com/europe/