Ballymena -based soft drinks manufacturer, Norbev has increased its turnover by over 50 per cent following an investment of almost £300,000 in the up-skilling of its staff. Founded in 1919, Norbev manufacturers beverages and soft drinks for customers including Aldi, Suntory (Lucozade), Talking Rain and Capri Sun, and exports 98 per cent of its products to markets outside of Northern Ireland, including Great Britain and Europe. Shona Blythe, Managing Director of Norbev, said: “In response to a business transformation, we identified the need to significantly invest in the development of our sta ..read more

Glanbia plc, the Better Nutrition company, has agreed to acquire US-based Flavor Producers LLC for an initial consideration of $300 million plus deferred consideration. Flavor Producers is a leading flavour platform in the US, providing flavours and extracts to the food and beverage industries, with a focus on organic and natural ingredients. Glanbia will operate Flavor Producers within its Glanbia Nutritionals (GN), Nutritional Solutions (NS) business. The transaction is consistent with Glanbia’s strategy of acquiring complementary businesses to grow its Better Nutrition platforms. Flav ..read more

Valued at EUR2.4 billion, Guinness remains the most valuable Irish brand for the third consecutive year, according to new data from Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Guinness continues to leverage its unique heritage and authentic brand story to stand out in a crowded beer market, with associations like St. Patrick’s Day and the Six Nations Rugby strengthening the brand’s familiarity. Henry Farr, Associate Director at Brand Finance, commented: “Guinness’ position as the most valuable Irish brand once again is a testament to its rich herit ..read more

Refresco, the global independent beverage solutions provider for global, national, and emerging (GNE) brands and retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia, has completed the acquisition of VBC Bottling Company. VBC, a family-owned contract manufacturer of premium beverages, is strategically located in Modesto, California. The acquisition of VBC Bottling Company complements Refresco’s footprint and capabilities in North America, and further strengthens its ability to provide beverage solutions to branded customers. Refresco CEO, Hans Roelofs, commented: “Acquiring VBC is another step i ..read more

One of the world’s biggest food lubricant manufacturers ROCOL has announced it will be removing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the formulations of its entire FOODLUBE product range. From April 2024, 100 per cent of the FOODLUBE products will be PFAS-free. The company estimates that the new formulations will prevent around 425 kilograms of ‘forever chemicals’ reaching the environment every year. While PFAS are widely considered to be harmful to the environment, there is currently no outright ban in force today. A universal PFAS restriction proposal is currently being debated in ..read more

Farmer-owned Arla Foods, one of the world’s leading mozzarella producers, has announced its largest ever investment – €210 million – into the UK with highly advanced production technology at the Taw Valley dairy in south-western England. With the new production capabilities, Arla Foods will be even better placed to meet increasingly specific demands from key customers and keep pace in the fast-moving space of global mozzarella. “Our mozzarella business has seen double-digit growth over the past five years and we have strong relationships with key customers, particularly in global foodservice ..read more

UK food and drink manufacturers have been empowered with the vision, skills and drive to pursue smarter manufacturing through Made Smarter’s innovative leadership programmes. Made Smarter, a government-funded industry-led initiative to increase technology adoption among SME manufacturers, offers funded access to its Leading Digital Transformation (LDT) programme and Leading Change for Digital Champions (LCDC) programmes. So far 125 participants, hailing from across the spectrum of the manufacturing workforce, from managers to production operatives, have graduated from the programmes. Among th ..read more

Richard Williams (pictured) has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Müller Yogurt & Desserts (MYD) in the UK & Ireland. With over 20 years of senior experience in marketing, commercial and general management within the dairy and wider FMCG sector, Richard Williams joins from Saputo where he was Executive Committee Member and Vice President of its cheese business, responsible for all commercial functions. A strategic business leader and marketer, he developed a turnaround strategy for its cheese portfolio, identified and unlocked new private label contracts and oversaw key net ..read more

Bord Bia has announced its international trade programme of activity for 2024 including ministerial-led trade missions and a calendar of 24 trade show events across China, Europe, Japan, the US, and South East Asia. Highlights in the 2024 trade events calendar include an upcoming trade mission to the US starting on March 24th, which will be led by the Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development, Martin Heydon, T.D.  This will be followed by another trade mission to China later in the year. Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole (pictured ..read more

75% of the electricity now being used to make Britvic soft drinks in Great Britain – from Fruit Shoot to Tango, Robinsons to J2O – is coming from a 160-acre solar farm in Northamptonshire. Providing clean energy to factories in Rugby, London and Leeds, the ten-year solar power agreement covers three quarters of Britvic’s electricity needs in this country – with the aim of reaching 100% solar powered operations in the near future. The solar site, commissioned in January 2024 and now operational, will generate 3.1 Gigawatts of power, enough to power the equivalent 11,500 homes. This could cut a ..read more