Grupo Alimentario Citrus acquires two new IV range companies in Europe
This new operation responds to the growth and internationalization strategy initiated by GAC in 2015 and joins the purchase of the German company Thurländer carried out by the group last October.
Grupo Alimentario Citrus (GAC) has acquired two companies specialized in the production of ready-to-eat salads, one based in Switzerland and the other in Italy. This operation joins the purchase of the German company Thurländer last October and is part of the growth and internationalization plan initiated by GAC in 2015. After this double acquisition, the group strengthens its position in the European market of fresh products ready to consume, one of the strategic business areas of the company.
The acquired companies belonged until the date to the French cooperative group Agrial and they are specialized in the production of salads and vegetables ready to consume. The plant located in Hünenberg, near Zurich (Switzerland), has 136 employees and reached a turnover of 24 million euros in 2018. For its part, the Italian plant, located in Novara (near Milan), employs 44 people and in the last financial year (2018) it obtained a turnover of 9.7 million euros.
“We want to become the company of fresh and healthy product preferred by consumers and with this acquisition we take our capacity for innovation and our assortment to new markets and new consumers”, explained Rafael Boix, general director of Grupo Alimentario Citrus (GAC). “The new plants in Switzerland and Italy represent a new milestone in our international growth plan and reinforce us to continue growing in an even more sustainable way.”
After the transaction, GAC will guarantee the stability of the staff and maintain production for the Swiss and Italian markets, where the acquired companies supply the main distribution chains, as well as the Food Service and Horeca channels.
“We are going to work to take full advantage of the enormous potential of the plants in Switzerland and Italy, with modern facilities and an excellent location,” said Boix. “It’s about joining projects; we will give a boost to both centers in terms of innovation, taking advantage of the great knowledge that the local market teams and their consumers possess, to continue growing together, “said Boix.
GAC now has 7 processing plants for ready-to-eat products: 4 of them in Spain – Aranda de Duero (Burgos), Antequera (Malaga), Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife) and Ribarroja del Turia (Valencia) – and 3 others in Europe -Germany, Switzerland and Italy-. To these, there is a child feeding plant in Carlet (Valencia) and another one for agricultural processing in Dolores de Pacheco (Murcia). In total they represent 65,000m2 of industrial surface equipped with the latest technologies in the field of processing and food safety.
GAC, a leading agri-food group in healthy eating
Consolidated as a leading manufacturer of fresh and healthy products, as well as infant feeding in the Spanish market, in 2015 GAC initiated a strategy of growth and internationalization with the aim of continuing to grow with new customers, new channels and new markets. As a result, its products reach more than 40 customers in 30 countries worldwide today and international sales account for nearly 30% of the group’s total turnover.
In 2017, the company launched its brand of ready-to-consume Sun & Vegs products in Spain and Portugal and began marketing an adapted assortment for the Horeca channel and vending with the aim of offering more options to consumers who want to maintain a balanced diet with products that they allow you to enjoy day to day, anytime, anywhere.
