Beechdean Group will acquire the remaining shares of Lovingtons Ice Cream, having initially bought 50% of the business in May.
Beechdean said its aim is to rapidly expand Lovingtons in the west of England, ‘by building on the company’s excellent reputation for manufacturing the finest quality dairy ice cream’.
Lovingtons ice cream is sold in both a premium and country range, with all products free from GMO as well as artificial colourings and flavourings.
Founded in 1989, Beechdean produces a range of ice cream, sorbets and impulse products, as well as a variety of supporting dessert products.
Moving into the broader desserts area with the acquisition of Enjays Pancakes earlier this year, Beechdean is also the manufacturer of ice cream brands Yorkshire Dales and Granellis.
The acquisition signals the continued expansion of Beechdean; it now has a capacity of 30 million litres a year with ice cream factories in the Chilterns, Cheshire and Somerset.
Beechdean managing director Andrew Howard said: “We have been working closely with Lovingtons and felt it was the right next step for Beechdean’s growth, both in brands and production capacities. We are a customer centric business and this means as a group we have much more to offer our growing client base.
“We are putting substantial investment in both the manufacturing capabilities as well as the sales and marketing side of the business to capitalise on the excellent reputation the business has developed.
“The plan is to strengthen the hold of Lovingtons in the foodservice and leisure markets and also offer the brand to other markets.”
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