Weekly Roundup: Emmi sells stake in Ambrosi in Italy, Nestlé invests US$340M in Mexican coffee factory

29 Jul 2022 --- This week in industry news, Emmi revealed it is selling its 25% stake in Italian cheese specialist Ambrosi, while Nestlé is investing US$340 million in a new Nescafé coffee factory in Mexico. Corbion opened an innovation center in Singapore, and olam food ingredients (ofi) completed its acquisition of Club Coffee. Meanwhile, Equinom and Peterson Farms Seed are commercializing non-GMO varieties of yellow peas for plant-based food applications.

In brief: Business moves
Emmi’s latest transaction of Ambrosi is part of the ongoing portfolio transformation and the strategic focus on clearly defined, profitable growth segments, as well as the associated strengthening of majority stakes. The stake, acquired in 2007, was aimed at achieving joint international growth in several selected countries in the specialty and premium cheeses segment. 

Corbion has opened a customer support and innovation center in Singapore. With a significant capability in food preservation, the laboratory will enable Corbion to better meet the needs of itsNestlé has opened a new Nescafé coffee factory in Veracruz, Mexico.customers in the Asia Pacific region across various categories, including meat, sauces, dressings and condiments, baked goods, refrigerated food, beverages and confectionery. Corbion has built the 350-plus square meter facility to accommodate a variety of food categories with extensive analytical capabilities, including micro studies for spoilage and food safety. In this space, Corbion scientists will also be able to mimic the most relevant food systems, as well as packaging and tropical storage conditions.

Barry Callebaut has named a location for their new chocolate factory: 4 Bowery Road, Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to invest US$104 million in the new plant, including office space for corporate operations and chocolate processing. The plant will be focused on sugar-free, high protein, and other specialty chocolate products. The new operation is the first new factory for Barry Callebaut in North America since 2008 and is expected to bring more than 200 jobs to Canada.

Angel Yeast has inked an agreement with Bejing PhaBuilder Biotechnology Co. (PhaBuilder) in Yichang, Hubei province (China), to build a large manufacturing base for polyhydroxyalkanoates in the city. The pair will set up a joint venture company to drive the application of synthetic biology in the biotechnology industry.

Prodalim, a Dutch beverages business, is continuing its expansion in the US with the inauguration of a new site in Los Angeles, California. The site, which is Prodalim’s first on the West Coast, along with the two existing locations in New Jersey and Florida, will strengthen the distribution and logistical capabilities of the company and will allow its US customers to have a more stable supply chain. The opening of Prodalim’s new site continues the company strategy, which includes global expansion, vertical integration, and production expansion to a full range of natural solutions.

Nestlé has opened a Nescafé coffee factory in Veracruz, Mexico. With an investment of US$340 million, the plant creates 1,200 new jobs in the region and makes Mexico Nestlé’s leading coffee producer globally. The new factory leverages state-of-the-art equipment and green energies to reduce water and energy consumption. It uses wastewater treatment systems to ensure 100% of water recirculation, zero wastewater discharges and zero waste to landfills. And it consumes 100% green electricity and is equipped with a biomass boiler that will use the biological waste from the coffee process to generate energy.

Meanwhile, the Swiss food giant is also creating a buzz in the ice cream world with the first product launch featuring Nescafé, which breaks new ground by using real coffee in both the coating and the ice cream core, as opposed to coffee flavors. The coating or ‘ganache’ that covers the Nescafé Gold Cappuccino Ice Cream is made using Nestlé’s patented ‘soft coating’ technology. In contrast to the hard coatings used in typical chocolate-based stick ice creams, this soft ganache uses Nescafé Gold coffee, which also features in the ice cream core. Sold in a paper wrapper that is designed to be recycled via the paper stream, Nescafé Gold Cappuccino Ice Cream will be sold in Malaysia over the next few months, with a view to rollouts in other Nestlé ice cream markets worldwide.Nescafé Gold Cappuccino Ice Cream is made using Nestlé’s patented ‘soft coating’ technology.

In brief: Acquisitions
ofi has completed the acquisition of Club Coffee, one of Canada’s largest coffee roasters and packaging solutions providers to the “At Home” segment, serving private label customers and retail brands from its facilities in Toronto. According to ofi, the acquisition is aligned with the company’s growth strategy to deliver sustainable, natural, value-added F&B ingredients and solutions through a diverse channel mix to customers across the globe. 

In brief: Sustainability
Equinom and Peterson Farms Seed are partnering to produce identity-preserved seeds of Equinom yellow peas.Equinom will provide its patent-protected, high-protein, non-GMO yellow pea seeds that eliminate the heavy processing typically required to produce food-grade pea proteins. Peterson Farms Seed will propagate the seeds utilizing its network of experienced seed producers to commercialize Equinom pea varieties. The Equinom pea varieties will be the foundation of pea-protein ingredients used in food applications that, typically, rely solely on isolates.

Anaergia has revealed that its solutions that turn waste into renewable energy are now integrated into a new wastewater treatment plant in Highland, California. The facility, owned and operated by East Valley Water District and known as the Sterling Natural Resources Center (SNRC), recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Unlike any other plant in the world, the SNRC will recycle water to replenish Angel Yeast has signed an agreement with PhaBuilder.local groundwater and convert wastewater solids and food waste into renewable energy and organic fertilizer. 

In brief: Food security 
The UK’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee is embarking on a new inquiry, Food Security, in response to pressures facing food producers and rising food prices. The inquiry will also consider the government’s food strategy, launched in a policy paper in June 2022, and the UK’s level of food self-sufficiency. The Institute of Grocery Distribution, a trade body, predicts that food inflation will hit 15% in the coming months, and the Bank of England says the supply disruption factors could last into 2023. It will examine whether the government’s proposals in its recent food strategy paper will affect resilience in the food supply chain, improve access to good quality food, and support farmers, fishers and food producers.

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the African Development Bank Group, has approved a grant of US$2 million to boost food production in Sierra Leone. The program falls under the African Development Bank Group’s US$1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility, a response to the global food crisis that resulted from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has deepened existing food insecurity in Sierra Leone. The program will focus on the production, harvesting and marketing of rice. The Ministry of Agriculture will provide smart subsidies to 67,000 smallholder farmers to reduce the cost of certified rice seeds and fertilizers.

By Elizabeth Green