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Chinese Company to Acquire Smithfield Foods
Shuanghui International Holdings has agreed to buy Smithfield Foods Inc. for $5 billion, which would be the largest ever acquisition of a U.S. company by a Chinese company, and some expect it could lead to more future Chinese acquisitions of U.S. companies.Smithfield will become a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Shuanghui International, operating as Smithfield Foods, once the deal is completed. C. Larry Pope is expected to continue as Smithfield’s president and CEO, and the management teams and workforces of Smithfield’s companies are expected to remain intact.Although the deal has raised concern in Washington among politicians, the deal must still ... |
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Fusionbrands Names New EVP of Sales
Fusionbrands has named Maurizio Rispoli as its executive vice president (EVP) of sales, effective immediately.Rispoli comes to Fusionbrands with extensive knowledge of the world’s economies, having successfully established relationships across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East. A prolific developer of business within housewares, Rispoli has held a number of senior international roles, most recently as head of business, rest of world, at Joseph Joseph Ltd.Rispoli will be responsible for Fusionbrands’ global presence, working directly with retail partners, as well as via their network of distributors and agents around the world, increasing sales and profitability.“We are thrilled and ... |
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Zak Designs Becomes USDA National Strategic Partner
Spokane, Wash.-based Zak Designs has been approved as a National Strategic Partner of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its ChooseMyPlate.gov initiative to promote healthy eating.With its line of licensed dinnerware and drinkware, Zak Designs has always been committed to helping children eat healthy meals by making mealtime fun for kids around the world; but Zak took that commitment to a new level last year when it launched its Healthy by Design plate. The plate is divided into four sections that each represent the food groups – fruits, vegetables, grains and protein – recommended by the USDA. When paired ... |
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KeHE Distributors to Host Holiday Show in Chicago
KeHE Distributors will host its annual Holiday Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, June 10-11, bringing together thousands of retailers and suppliers in the natural, specialty and fresh product categories to showcase holiday products and also hot year-round merchandise.“Both our retail and supplier partners rely on our guidance regarding what products will perform well during the upcoming holiday season,” said Brandon Barnholt, president and CEO of KeHE Distributors. “We look forward to showcasing the industry’s hottest new products, and sharing our expert insights on successful holiday merchandising.” New to the show this year is the KeHE New Items area, which ... |
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Vermont Butter & Cheese Breaks Ground on Demo Goat Dairy
Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery in Webster, Vt., officially broke ground at the newly acquired Ayers Brook Goat Dairy in Randolph for the first demonstration farm of its kind in the United States. Ayers Brook will model best practices in goat dairy farming, support regional agriculture and offer a teaching venue for potential and current goat farmers. “From the beginning, Bob and I envisioned dairy goats flourishing on hillside farms in Vermont,” said Allison Hooper, co-founder of Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery. “But the idea of taking on a farm was so audacious and undoable that we barely dared ... |
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Lifeway Foods Buys Dairy Plant for Expanded Kefir Business
Lifeway Foods Inc., a leading supplier of kefir cultured dairy products, acquired for $7.4 million the Golden Guernsey dairy plant in Waukesha, Wis., to provide additional manufacturing capacity for its growing kefir-based business. Adding the 170,000-square-foot plant to Lifeway’s existing 50,000-square-foot facility in Morton Grove, Ill., will more than quadruple the company’s production capacity and provide much-needed expansion abilities. The Golden Guernsey plant was shuttered in January following a bankruptcy filing, leaving 112 employees without jobs. Lifeway plans to reopen the plant this summer and rehire a portion of the workforce to staff the facility. The transaction is expected to ... |
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Louisiana Launches Certified Wild Seafood Program
The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board (LSPMB) and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) unveiled the Vermilion Bay Sweet White Shrimp Gumbo Pack from supplier Delcambre Direct Seafood as one of the first products to carry the Certified Authentic Louisiana Wild Seafood seal on the packaging. “Vermilion Bay Sweet Shrimp Gumbo Packs are processed, packaged and distributed by Gulf Crown Seafood in a cooperative effort with the Port of Delcambre and Delcambre Direct Seafood,” said Thomas Hymel, project manager of Louisiana Direct Seafood. “This Louisiana Certified Seafood product is sustainable, traceable, contains no sodium tripolyphosphate and meets an ... |
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Evriholder Products Acquires Spongeables Bath and Beauty Line
Evriholder Products completed an agreement to acquire the assets of Spongeables LLC, a Los Angeles-based bath, health and beauty technology company that fits into its core impulse business. Evriholder, based in Anaheim, Calif., designs, develops and manufactures products for the kitchen, cleaning, storage, and bath and personal care categories. Spongeables holds several patents worldwide, including a patented “infusion” technology in a proprietary manufacturing process that combines time-released cleansing soaps, gels and other skincare ingredients into a hypoallergenic sponge matrix. Spongeables’ products are sold nationally and internationally. Currently, the company produces more than 50 products under the Spongeables label and as ... |
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North American Tea Championship Selects Best Iced Teas
Just in time for summer, the North American Tea Championship (NATC) selected 19 first-place winners during its annual Iced Tea Class evaluation. The championship is the only independent competition, judged by professional cuppers, to distinguish the highest-quality and best-tasting teas that are commercially available in the North American marketplace. Some winners will be featured at World Tea Expo June 7 to 9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. NATC Judge Eliot Jordan, director of tea, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, said, “The overall cup quality standard for iced beverages is higher than it was just a few years ago. Plus, innovation ... |
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Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Expand Partnership
Starbucks Coffee Company and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) have signed an agreement that provides for the expansion of their successful partnership for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and sale of Starbucks- and Tazo-branded single serve packs for use in GMCR’s Keurig single serve brewing systems globally. Under the new minimum five-year agreement, Starbucks will add brands and varietals to the Starbucks K-Cup and Vue pack portfolio of offerings for Keurig single cup brewers, ultimately tripling the number of Starbucks products and adding brands offered on the Keurig platform. New brands will include Seattle’s Best Coffee, Torrefazione Italia coffee, Teavana Teas, and Starbucks Cocoa. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “Starbucks new agreement with GMCR strengthens our leadership position in the ... |
