Italian company Newlat acquires Kraft Heinz factory
The acquisition will allow Newlat – one of Italy’s top ten food manufacturers with an annual turnover of more than €323m – to add baby food and specialist health foods, such as gluten-free and protein-free products, to its portfolio.
With a production capacity of around 20,000 tonnes, the factory was owned by Kraft Heinz’s Italian division and produced pasta, liquid and dry milk, cereals and baby food under the Italian brands Nipiol, Dieterba, BiAglut and Aproten. The transaction includes a three-year agreement to continue co-packing these brands with Newlat Spa.
"The proposed sale offers a positive future for the Ozzano Taro factory and for the 168 people employed at the site. It will not affect the sale of products, which will continue as normal,"said Kraft Heinz in a statement when the terms of the deal were agreed in principle earlier this month
"It is an important step to ensure that the Kraft Heinz Company in Italy operates as efficiently as possible, accelerating the company's future growth
The sale leaves the American food giant with just one proprietary production facility in Italy, in the Lazio region, which will not be affected by the Parma sale, the company said.
Newlat has 11 production plants and sells its products in both EU and non-EU countries, employing around 1000 people.
Meanwhile yesterday the American food giant announced that 930 jobs in three US factories could be axed: “These three New York factories are under close review and an announcement about their future will be communicated in the next week or so,” said a spokesman in a statement.
Kraft Heinz will release its third quarter financial results on 5 November.
