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USA- Belgian ingredients supplier Puratos is expanding its West Coast operations with two key investments in the Los Angeles region. The two investments include a new manufacturing line at its Rancho Dominguez, Calif., facility and a planned relocation to a new warehouse and distribution facility in Gardena, Calif. According to Puratos, the new manufacturing line in Rancho Dominguez will double…
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BRAZIL-Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC) and Marfrig have each committed to purchasing 250 million shares in any “future primary” share offering by Brazilian meat giant BRF. BRF has a potential US$900 million stock offering and these two players will be taking up the majority of this offering. SALIC, which was formed in 2011 to secure food supplies for…
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CANADA- Two pension funds, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and British Columbia Investment Management Corp, have declared their support of the potential Viterra-Bunge merger, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported. The possible merger would create a US$25 billion behemoth that will be one of the largest global commodity traders. According to the anonymous source, these…
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EUROPE- Leading a consortium of top industry and research partners working in the blue economy sector, the Submariner Network recently launched a major innovation project to develop, test and scale up new sustainable products from algae. The AlgaeProBANOS project will be funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and will span four years, with a budget of over €12…
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USA- Indiana-based processing equipment and solution provider Hillenbrand recently announced plans to acquire Schenck Process’ Food and Performance Materials (FPM) for approximately US$730 million. The transaction is expected to close during Hillenbrand’s fiscal fourth quarter of 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. According to a press release by the company, Hillenbrand expects to use cash on…
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USA – Glencore-owned global grain trader Viterra is in talks concerning a possible merger with U.S. rival Bunge Ltd- a strategic move that will potentially form one of the most formidable international grain merchants, Reuters reported, quoting people familiar with the matter. These talks come a while after Glencore had publicly said it was reviewing options for its interest in…
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FRANCE- Privately-owned confectionery giant Mars recently revealed plans to invest €130m (US$140m) in its sites in France across four business units. Romain Dumas, the CEO of Mars’ pet-food business in the country, outlined the plans at the pan-industry Choose France investment summit. According to Dumas, the company will increase production capacity across its four French units – the confectionery-focused Mars…
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BRAZIL- Cargill Brazil is planning to spend US$20 million to build a mineral supplements production plant in the west-central state of Mato Grosso for cattle raised on pastures, according to a report by Reuters. According to the cited statement, construction of the facility is expected to begin this month with completion slated for the end of 2024. Mato Grosso is…
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USA- Rotterdam-based grain elevator Viterra recently announced that it will expand its grain and ingredient terminal in Etter, Texas, US, increasing storage capacity at the terminal by more than 40,000 tonnes by late 2024. Viterra handles more than 100 million metric tonnes of agricultural products annually across its business units, including grains, oilseeds, pulses, rice, sugar, and vegetable oil, as…
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USA- Kansas-based Alphia, a pet food manufacturer with milling, manufacturing and logistics capabilities, is considering a sale, but no final decision has been reached, according to a story by Reuters. According to the report by Reuters, quoting unnamed “people familiar with matter” the private equity-owned manufacturer is said to be working with investment bank Goldman Sachs on a potential deal.…
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