News

  • 14 Mar
    Global – Sustainable attributes drive adoption of aluminium cans from beverage-makers

    Global – Sustainable attributes drive adoption of aluminium cans from beverage-makers

    When a recycled material is used to make a new product, natural resources and energy are conserved. In the words of the coordinator for the first Earth Day (April 22, 1970) environmental advocate Denis Hayes said: “Listen up, you couch potatoes; each recycled beer can saves enough electricity to run a television for three hours.” In the same vein, manufacturing with recycled aluminium cans uses 95% less energy than creating the same amount of aluminium with bauxite, experts note.

    Moreover, there is the potential for essentially all of the aluminium in beverage cans to be recycled multiple times, generating significant environmental and economic benefits, note Scott Breen, vice president of sustainability, and Sherrie Rosenblatt, vice president of marketing and communications, at the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), Washington DC.

    “It is no surprise that beer, energy, health and soft drink beverage companies are enjoying the many benefits of the aluminium can, which has the highest recycling rate among all beverage packaging,” Breen and Rosenblatt say. “In CMI’s latest can shipment reports, aluminium can production in the United States and Canada increased 3.5%.

    “There are many sustainability advantages to packaging beverages in an aluminium can. Compared to plastic PET or glass bottles, aluminium cans lead the way in the key measures of recycling rate, recycled content and value per ton,” they continue. “An industry-leading 45% of aluminium cans are being recycled and an average 93% of recycled cans will end up as new cans, typically in as little as 60 days. As a result, the US beverage can on average is made up of 73% recycled aluminium. This continuous circular journey happens over and over again because metal recycles forever.”

    Recent trends indicate that more than 70% of new beverage product introductions are in aluminium cans and long-standing customers are moving away from plastic bottles and other packaging substrates to cans due to environmental concerns. For aluminium bottles we expect to witness a surge in demand and growth in the next five to 10 years. BeverageIndustry

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 14 Mar
    US – Orange juice prices rise as Florida citrus farmers struggle to survive

    US – Orange juice prices rise as Florida citrus farmers struggle to survive

    Deep in the heart of Florida, there’s a fight between generational farmers and every outside force below and above the soil to keep Florida oranges on trees and in consumer homes. Citrus Famer Christian Spinosa comments: I’ve been working on our family citrus and beef cattle operation out of Bartow, Florida. I’m a fifth-generation citrus and beef cattle producer,” Spinosa said.

    Spinosa owns Putnam Grove, a thousand acres of the more than 400,000 acreages of citrus groves in the state, and sells most of his oranges to Florida’s Natural orange juice. It’s changed a lot over the years. If it hasn’t been for freezes or canker or stasia and now citrus greening is what we’re currently facing,” he explained.

    Citrus greening has been a Florida farmer’s plague since 2005. This, coupled with a recent freeze in Florida, is frightening news for orange production. In 2022, the USDA predicts the sunshine state will produce the smallest batch of oranges since WWII, at 43.5 million boxes. The sad reality is, Florida Citrus Mutual estimates citrus acreage in the state is about half of what it was 20 years ago, with 60% of growers leaving the industry in the last five years.

    When you sell your land for 20, USD30,000 an acre and it’s a business decision. It’s not a demand decision. It’s a business decision,” said Steve Johnson, owner of Johnson Harvesting. Johnson’s family has owned their citrus grove in Wauchula since the 1930s. For him, selling isn’t an option.

     “Florida’s — it’s very important that citrus stays alive. It roughly, there’s 33,000 jobs that are involved in citrus, there’s about USD6.7 billion in economic impact. So the citrus industry plays a huge role in the economy,” Johnson explained.

    These oranges aren’t just going to local grocery stores, Florida groves supply about 95% of the entire country’s orange juice. One of the beauty parts behind the pandemic was the demand for orange juice went up because it’s a great quality product. It’s got vitamin C and it’s a healthy product,” Johnson said.

    A recent Nielsen report reveals orange juice sales are the highest they’ve been in years, but as we know, supply and demand affects prices. In the last year, orange juice prices went up more than 25%, according to Insider Market, and they are expected to continue rising.

    However, these farmers say paying the premium is the only way to help keep their crops alive. Florida farmers are constantly trying to figure out how to adapt to greening and keep trees healthy.

    ABCActionNews

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 14 Mar
    South Africa – ADM Completes Acquisition of South African Business Comhan

    South Africa – ADM Completes Acquisition of South African Business Comhan

    Global nutrition leader, ADM, announced it has completed its acquisition of Comhan, a leading South African flavour distributor. ADM has worked together with the local business for a number of years, with the formal acquisition now giving new and current customers more direct access to ADM’s extensive portfolio and network of experts.

    “This acquisition marks a very exciting moment for ADM, as we continue to develop our Nutrition business in key growth markets including Africa. I am confident that this acquisition will open up opportunities for our customers in the region and build on the capabilities of our existing offices in Nigeria and Kenya.” said Calvin McEvoy, President Global Beverages ADM.

    “At ADM we believe it is critical to invest in flavour creation assets globally to extend production and supply chains, making it easier to get unique and consumer-preferred flavours to local customers. The acquisition of Comhan means we can bring together our 80 years’ experience in the flavour industry and Comhan’s unique market insight to generate innovative products which cater to local tastes and interests. Comhan’s business is currently focused on beverages but through this new partnership we plan to grow the distribution capabilities to include food and savoury products.” added McEvoy.

    Welcoming Comhan into ADM’s portfolio comes together with other recent investments in alternative flavour production, including the company’s recent state-of-the-art facilities in Pinghu, China and Berlin, Germany. ADM

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 14 Mar
    Global – KKR to acquire majority stake in Refresco

    Global – KKR to acquire majority stake in Refresco

    Refresco Group, one of the largest independent beverage contract manufacturers in the world, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, have announced that KKR has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Refresco, with Refresco’s existing investors, PAI Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation maintaining a significant minority position. Terms of the transaction, which is subject to closing conditions, are not disclosed.

    Founded in 1999, Refresco is a global independent beverage solutions provider for retailers and branded beverage companies with pan-regional coverage in Europe and North America through its network of bottling, warehousing, logistics and other operational assets. The Company’s production platform includes over 70 majority-owned manufacturing sites in Europe, the US, Canada and Mexico, providing customers with close proximity and a reliable service across geographies. Refresco has built long-standing relationships with its customers by partnering to support material planning, procurement, manufacturing, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution.

    KKR will support Refresco as it expands its global and strategically located footprint to better serve existing and new customers through a range of formats and channels. The Company will build on its ability to manufacture high quality products that meet the growing demand for sustainable beverage solutions, with a focus on sustainable sourcing, responsible production and environmentally friendly operations, say the company.

    KKR is making this investment primarily through its Global Infrastructure strategy, which was established in 2008. Since that time, KKR has been one of the most active infrastructure investors around the world with a team of more than 70 dedicated investment professionals. The firm currently oversees approximately USD40 billion in infrastructure assets and has made over 60 infrastructure investments across a range of sub-sectors and geographies. KKR

    By Caroline Calder News
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