AGRANA Fruit Expands Presence in South America, Acquires Argentinian Fruit Preparations Producer

16 Feb 2017 --- The fruit processor AGRANA Fruit, part of the AGRANA Group, has consolidated its presence in the South American market through the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Main Process S.A., a producer of fruit preparations.

Located in north-eastern Argentina, Main Process S.A. with a workforce of around 175 employees, generated revenues of approximately €19 million ($20.1 million) in its 2015 business year. In addition to standard fruit preparations for yogurts and ice cream, Main Process S.A. also specializes in the production of syrups for beverages, fillings for bakery products and fruit toppings, partially commercialized through their own brand, Main Fusion.

Latin America is a strong growth market, particularly with regard to fruit preparations used in beverages and smoothies as well as for non-fruit solutions such as chocolate toppings and caramel syrups. Besides the core business of Main Process S.A. for industrial customers from the dairy and bakery industries, additional sales potential also exists in the quick-service restaurant (e.g. fast food) and food service sectors (e.g. hotels and catering).

“This acquisition represents another step in the direction of sustainably consolidating our global leadership in the fruit preparations market. Being the world market leader for fruit preparation for the dairy industry, we intend to strengthen our position in the core business and expand further in diverse product categories. The broad product range of Main Process S.A. in dairy as well as the non-dairy segments complements our strategy of diversification very well,”said Johannes Kleppers, CEO of AGRANA Fruit.

Speaking with FoodIngredientsFirst, a spokesperson from AGRANA Fruit said: “We intend to strengthen our position in the core business and expand further in various product categories. The broad product range of Main Process S.A. in dairy as well as the non-dairy segments complements our strategy of diversification very well.”

“Latin America is an essential market for us, it is a strong growth region particularly with regard to fruit preparations used in beverages and smoothies as well as for non-fruit solutions We are integrating a fully developed business there, which adds another full-scale production site to our global network.”

What does AGRANA Fruit stand for?
AGRANA Fruit offers a variety of fruit, brown flavor, savory and specialty solutions for the food and beverage industry. Every year, a global network of R&D experts develops around 850 new and innovative products in close collaborations with customers. The fruit preparations contain top quality fruit, which is prepared to be used in dairy products but also in the ice cream, bakery and foodservice industries. AGRANA Fruit’s product development work also reflects global nutritional and health trends in the area of organic and natural products, health and wellbeing, indulgent and premium products, target groups and convenience.

AGRANA Fruit currently operates seven production facilities for fruit preparations on the American continent, four in the USA and one in each of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Globally, AGRANA Fruit operates 24 sites on all continents.

by Elizabeth Kenward

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