© God Morgon juice
Eckes-Granini has agreed to acquire Danish juice producer Rynkeby Foods from Arla for an undisclosed amount.
Based in the city of Ringe, where the company processes more than 50 varieties of fruit and berries from 25 different countries, Rynkeby has 200 employees and an annual production volume of over 130 million litres.
It is the leading producer of juices and cordials in the Nordic states, with its Rynkeby and God Morgon brands holding a dominant position in Denmark. Its largest export market is neighbouring Sweden.
Thomas Hinderer, chairman and CEO of the Eckes-Granini Group, said: “We are proud to welcome Rynkeby Foods along with its highly motivated professional team and two new, strong brands to the Eckes-Granini Group. The Rynkeby and God Morgon brands round out our portfolio ideally. We are now number one in eight European countries as we continue to pursue our successful course as the leading supplier of fruit beverages.”
Povl Krogsgaard, vice-CEO of Arla Foods, is confident that Eckes-Granini is the better strategic fit for Rynkeby going forward: “Over the past two decades, Arla has sold off subsidiaries that do not have a direct link to dairy production in order to focus on our core business. Rynkeby is the last remaining subsidiary in the Arla Group not linked to milk, and we believe that the Rynkeby business will be better suited under the ownership of Eckes-Granini who can take the company to the next level in its future development.”
Eckes-Granini remains committed to its goal of combining organic growth with external growth through the acquisition of leading brands, it said. With the integration of these two new brands, the group now controls eleven strategic brands in Europe. The latest acquisition has bolstered its dominant position in Denmark and Sweden, and extended its market lead in Finland; the group was already represented in the Nordic region with fully owned subsidiaries in Finland and Sweden, as well as in Lithuania.
UPDATE: In March 2017, Arla announced details of its annual supplementary payment to its farmer-owners across Europe, which suggested that the value of the deal for Rynkeby Foods was €120 million.
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