Griffith Foods acquires The Flavourworks to expand UK reach for flavored butters & melts

28 Jul 2021 --- Griffith Foods has acquired The Flavourworks, a UK specialist in flavored butters, melts and oils, marinades, glazes, rubs, sauces and dressings for retail, which is expanding to foodservice. 

This acquisition will add an additional manufacturing arm to the Griffith Foods’ infrastructure and strengthen its existing UK-based customer relationships while bringing new market opportunities. The Flavourworks will become part of the Griffith Foods European and African division, with sister sites in Belgium, Spain, UK and South Africa.

“The Flavourworks can instantly complement our growth path,” Wim van Roekel, president of Griffith Foods Europe, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“We will gain a stronger market footprint by having a complementary sauces and dressings portfolio as well as by taking on new capabilities such as frozen sauces and flavored butters and melts.”

Poised for growth 
There are no plans to make any changes, and the companies intend to accelerate investments on both sites to build future capacity.

The acquisition will add new capabilities, such as frozen sauces and flavored butters and melts to Griffith Foods’ portfolio.“This is the beginning of a whole new chapter for The Flavourworks team and for our customers. There will be some exciting new ingredient combinations on the way,” says Chris Ormrod, managing director at The Flavourworks.

Van Roekel details that the companies are similar in their dedication for offering culinary-style solutions for the processed food industry, but different in product portfolio and technologies used. 

These similarities and differences open opportunities to “unlock further potential” by utilizing mutual capabilities together. 

“We will use this interesting mix to build a strong business for the UK market, in which we combine the strengths of both,” he adds. 

Eye on the UK market 
The acquisition supports Griffith Foods’ “Long Range Plan,” in particular, by accelerating growth in the UK market. 

“Despite a decent size, our market share offers room for expansion and growth. The UK is no exception,” says van Roekel. 

“That is why we have been looking into opportunities for growth with companies in our core markets – both with existing and new customers.”

Strengthening the UK Market is part of Griffith Foods’ “Long Range Plan.”Nourishing the world
Griffith Foods has global ambitions to “nourish the world,” and to do so, is looking for growth opportunities to scale the business through acquisitions.

“Nourishing the world is a significant ambition,” says van Roekel. “Living it requires scale and collaboration. More specifically for our business activities in Europe and Africa, we aim to triple our top line and double our bottom line.”

The company has stated future growth will come from multiple sources including scaling its activities and expanding in new geographies – Eastern Europe and Africa.

Moreover, Griffith Foods recently opened offices in Kigali, Rwanda and will open an office with development kitchens in Poland “in due time,” according to van Roekel. 

Latest strides 
In a bid to expand its “ecosystem with a purpose,” Griffith Foods is a partner behind FoodTech: Health & Wellness, a start-up program for investments and pilot opportunities in the better-for-you food sector. 

In July, Griffith Foods launched Infuso, a natural, flavored oil to create multi-flavored profiles in savory snacks. This came at the heels of the company selling off its Innova Flavors business to Synergy Flavors. 

By Missy Green