Cornwall’s Trewithen Dairy acquired by German dairy giant Ehrmann
The deal will see Ehrmann invest £20m in an upgrade of Trewithen’s manufacturing site as it seeks to increase its reach in the UK
Allplants secures further investment as it closes in on profit
Allplants has raised an additional seven-figure sum as the vegan frozen ready meal maker continues its drive for profitability
Tidal Rum returns to the crowd to help scale premium craft brand
Shorts Boy Distillery – founded by Harry Coulthard and Ben Clyde-Smith – launched the rum brand in 2019
Supreme acquires Clearly Drinks in £15m deal to broaden offering
Vape supplier Supreme has diversified its offering with the £15m acquisition of Clearly Drinks
Samworth Brothers promotes from within as CEO Hugo Mahoney steps down
Samworth Brothers has parted ways with CEO Hugo Mahoney and promoted a new boss from within its ranks of current executives, The Grocer can reveal
Fuel10k founder Barney Mauleverer launches £10k Future of Food competition
The fmcg entrepreneur said the Future of Food event planned for November would be a cross between Dragons’ Den, TedX Talks and the Model UN
Ample marketplace launches for farmers to sell surplus food to buyers
The digital platform was officially launched this week in collaboration with charitable trust the Foodify Foundation
Avocado volumes rise 17%, as industry body says ‘room for growth’
It is the fastest rising fruit for volume sales over the past year, according to NIQ data
Food sector bodies slam political parties for lax response on food security
Too little focus on food production and food security has been presented during the election campaign, argue the NFU, BRC, UKHospitality and FDF
Tesco makes move to lower chicken stocking densities
The retailer will reduce densities from the current ’industry standard’ level of 38kg/m² to 30kg/m² by the first half of 2025
King Charles urged to strip Unilever and Cadbury of royal warrants over Russia links
King Charles has expressed his support for the people of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion
Dirtea partners with Bear Grylls to get mushrooms to the masses
Dirtea has received a seven-figure investment from Bear Grylls as part of a new partnership, with the television presenter and adventurer becoming a global ambassador for the functional mushroom challenger brand
Common Drinks raises six-figure funding to launch functional drinks range
Functional drinks startup Common has bagged a six-figure investment from a clutch of fmcg heavyweights as consumer demand for health-focused beverages continues to grow
Tesco’s marketplace boosts SKU count by more than a third
The supermarket’s total online SKU count has risen from 28,018 to 38,070: an increase of 36%
Welsh dairy company Evan Rees on verge of closure
The business behind Hollybush Butter said commodity price inflation meant it was ‘impossible to continue’
Diageo sells majority stake in Guinness Nigeria
Diageo has sold a controlling stake in its Nigerian Guinness operation to its distributor in the country in a deal worth about $70m (£55m)
Welsh cheese producer Mona Island Dairy appoints administrators
The business had warned last month that it could no longer trade, citing a lack of investment
Freshways dismantles ‘farm shop on wheels’ in value push
An analysis of its current range reveals Milk & More has moved away from its previous positioning in a bid to keep prices competitive
Clawson Farms launches six-truckle cheese range
The range aims to disrupt the category with ‘characterful’ branding and well-loved flavours
Hostility to UPFs in parliament growing amid ‘deafening’ industry silence
A white paper published by marketing and PR agency SPQR includes a forensic breakdown of all mentions of UPF in the current parliament
Symington’s profits surge but uncertainty arises over CEO departure
Alongside the latest accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023, filings at Companies House also showed CEO Christian Boulter is no longer a director at the company
Bulk shapes up for more growth following record year
An increase in the popularity of strength training has lifted DTC nutrition brand Bulk to a record performance as revenues jumped 30% to £123.1m in 2023
Valeo Foods hits the acquisition trail once again with takeover of Dal Colle
Valeo Foods Group is back on the acquisition trail with a deal to buy Italian bakery producer Dal Colle as the ambient giant looks to build a platform across Europe
Nomad Foods hires new CFO to succeed Samy Zekhout
Frozen food giant Nomad Foods has appointed Ruben Baldew as chief financial officer to succeed Samy Zekhout, who is leaving to explore new opportunities
Suppliers refusing to pay Sainsbury’s new 'huge' data fees
The supermarket wants to charge suppliers up to £400,000 to access forecast data they had previously received for free
Hunter & Gather secures £500k to help maintain rapid growth
Hunter & Gather has secured a six-figure investment to support its expanding retail distribution and maintain rapid growth
Blockhead appoints liquidators weeks after running crowdfunding campaign
Functional chewing gum startup Blockhead has collapsed just weeks after attempting to raise £500k in a crowdfunding campaign
Bakkavor scoops up Moorish houmous brand
Founded by Julie Waddell in 2012, Moorish generates annual revenues of about £2m and is stocked by the major supermarkets and independent retailers
Chicken suppliers face £80m losses over FSA wishbone meat rule change
The FSA is proposing a change in guidance that would reclassify wishbone meat as mechanically separated meat
City snapshot: ‘Robust’ year for Tate & Lyle as it completes transformation with $350m sale of Primient
Tate & Lyle has completed its transformation to become a growth-focused speciality food and beverage ingredients business with the sale of its remaining interest in Primient for $350m. Plus, full-year results from Tate & Lyle, a Q1 update from Bakkavor, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners appoints CFO and Gusbourne publishes annual results
Yorkshire Tea grabs highest-ever share of black tea category as Bettys & Taylors profits soar
Hot drinks supplier Bettys & Taylors has returned to double-digit sales growth, pushing revenues close to £300m as Yorkshire Tea extended its number-one position in the UK black tea market
Unilever Graze integration putting ‘significant number of jobs at risk’
Graze is losing its independent status after owner Unilever set in motion plans to integrate the snacking brand into the wider group, with a significant number of jobs on the line as a result, The Grocer has learned
Food and drink M&A activity hits eight-year high
M&A activity in food and drink has picked up in 2024 as market conditions continued to ease, with deal numbers hitting their highest levels since 2016, according to a new report released this morning
Mission readies £1.3m crowd raise to fuel growth
Natural energy drinks brand Mission is prepping a £1.3m crowdfunding campaign to fuel its growth over the next two years
FSA to use international approvals for lab grown meat
It plans to unveil a “sliding scale” of international agreement for the approval or regulated products
Good Guys Bakehouse completes six-figure raise from fmcg heavyweights
Angel investors backing the business include former Pladis UK boss Nick Bunker, David Bell, currently chairman of Hackney Gelato and a former director at Mars UK and Young’s Seafood, and former Graze COO Tom Carroll, who was also CEO at British Corner Shop
Resilience body will draw on pandemic ‘war room’ spirit to tackle climate change
The resilience group is being set up following talks between Defra and the Food & Drink Sector Council
Anchor launches squeezy butter product
The new butter product is designed to provide a ‘faster, easier route to more buttery bakes, with just a squeeze’
Browns Food Group targets £100m sales jump for Scottish pork
The processor said it was in discussions with major retailers over increasing the availability of Scottish pork following its acquisition of the Brechin abattoir in 2022
Wilkinson Sword unveils major campaign ‘The Blade Masters since 1772’
The activity centres on the new Blade Master character, a suave, middle-aged man
PayPal, Uber Eats and Allwyn among new Grocer Gold Awards sponsors
The finalists for The Grocer Gold Awards 2024 have been announced. Now meet the sponsors
How fmcg is celebrating Pride Month 2024
Major grocery players like HelloFresh, Co-op, Britvic, Sysco GB and Tesco are demonstrating their commitment to Pride this month
opinion
The art of marketing the little (more expensive) luxuries to grocery shoppers
In uncertain economic times like today, the ‘lipstick effect’ often takes hold
Why brands must make sampling more sustainable
France has tackled the issue with a legislative approach, but we could be proactive, says Richard Lloyd-Williams, MD and business director at Flavor
Three key ways to get results from your category strategy
Senior roles in retailers are about prioritisation, so it’s important to establish your category’s importance for this audience, says Jeremy Garlick, partner at Insight Traction