Mariani Foods acquires UK dried meat manufacturer
Bare Earth, which produces biltong dried meat snacks, was sold in a pre-pack deal, handled by administrators The P&A Partnership, saving 13 jobs.
The combined companies have been renamed New World Foods (Europe), with immediate effect, and will form a wholly owned subsidiary of Mariani Foods Pty (Australia), a leading producer of premium beef jerky.
New World Foods will be managed independently to better serve the UK and European markets, said the firm, which added that the changes were "part of the company’s 2014 market growth strategy".
The acquisition includes Bare Earth’s Yorkshire factory, and will enable New World Foods to manufacture beef jerky and biltong in the UK.
Don Nisbet, group managing director of Mariani Foods, said: "This is an exciting time for New World Foods. We have successfully acquired the assets from Bare Earth that will allow us to offer British-made biltong and jerky, something that means a lot to the consumers we’ve spoken to over the years."
Bare Earth was established in Ripon in 2003, before investing in new premises in York last year. The £1.1m business lost two of its major retail customers last year, resulting in a 50% drop in sales.
