Mexican tequila producer Casa Maestri has expanded its portfolio of premium tequila brands with the purchase of Santera Tequila. Since 2015, Santera Tequila has sold Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo tequilas made from 100% blue agave from the Mexican town of Tequila, Jalisco. The brand achieves authenticity through its distillation methods which date back centuries. Slow roasting and extended fermenting methods give the tequila a distinct character, with Santera’s master distiller, Augustin Sanchez, balancing the aromas and taste profile to ensure quality. Jose Coira, VP of sales at Casa Maestri, said: “Tequila growth is unprecedented, almost outpacing Vodka sales growth in some areas of the US. Consumers are recognising the distinction and nuances between tequilas and the desire for high-end taste and quality is driving sales like never before. Adding brands like Santera, which offer a unique taste, enables us to offer a variety of options to our customers.” Santera’s owner, Carol Van Wijnen, commented: “When we began to consider new owners, we knew it had to be a company we trusted that would maintain the integrity of our product while ensuring the brand would be available to more tequila enthusiasts. Who better than the distillery that has always made this great tequila.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

US snack brand, HighKey, has expanded its portfolio with the launch of sugar-free sandwich cookies. HighKey's sandwich cookies have a creamy filling between two crispy chocolate cookies. According to HighKey, consumers will enjoy the sugar-free treats due to its rich cocoa flavours and sweet vanilla-flavoured cream inside. Made with clean ingredients and no artificial colours or flavours, the sandwich cookies are gluten- and soy-free, as well as keto-friendly. Each two-cookie serving contains no sugar, 2g of net carbs, 7g of fibre and 60 calories. “We are so excited to unveil our latest dunking delicious creation,” said Joe Ens, CEO of HighKey. “We’ve spent the last year testing and perfecting the best-tasting, low-sugar sandwich cookie on the market. We thought about everything consumers want in this type of cookie from the perfect crunch to dunkability to the sweet, creamy filling, so we could truly deliver something that tastes as good as the original." HighKey's sandwich cookies will be available for purchase on Amazon in three-pack and will roll out in select retailers this year.

US-based Café Valley, which manufactures baked goods for the in-store bakery and foodservice channels, has announced its acquisition of Freed's Bakery. Located in Manchester, New Hampshire, Freed's Bakery produces mini iced cupcakes for the North American market. The company is known for producing a range of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes that are topped with various icing colours and designs. Café Valley's CEO, Brian Owens, said: "The acquisition of Freed's is a key step that expands our leadership position in thaw and sell baked goods. Our everyday and seasonally targeted range of iced mini cupcakes offers an indulgent, snack-sized treat ideal for special events and gatherings." He continued: "Iced mini cupcakes are a perfect complement to our core business of cakes, muffins, coffee cake bites and croissants, and will provide a key growth area for our retail and food service partners". Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hippeas has introduced new Chickpea Tortilla Chip flavour, Nacho Vibes to its line of tortilla chips. The new flavour has the crunch and taste of nacho-flavoured tortilla chips but is vegan,dairy-free, certified gluten-free and non-GMO. The new addition joins the other Chickpea Tortilla Chip flavours including Straight Up Sea Salt, Rockin' Ranch and Sea Salt & Lime. Hippeas Nacho Vibes Tortilla Chips are made from chickpeas with 3g of protein and 3g of fibre per 1oz serving. "We are really proud of the Nacho Vibes flavour of our Hippeas Chickpea Tortilla Chips, as we've been working hard to perfect this recipe to surpass consumer expectations of what a chickpea tortilla chip can taste like," said Hippeas CMO, Julia Hecht. The full Hippeas Chickpea Tortilla Chip line-up can be found online and in selected US retailers.

Mars-owned snack bar manufacturer Kind has expanded its portfolio with the launch of its new line of Soft Baked Granola. Available in two flavours, dark chocolate and peanut butter & dark chocolate chunk, the granolas are made with 100% whole grain oats and ingredients such as dark chocolate chunks, creamy peanut butter and chopped nuts. According to the company, the range offers "a softer and chewier experience compared to the crunchy classic". The Soft Baked Granola range is available at retailers nationwide for an SRP of $5.99.

To focus on its core business and the execution of its plant-based strategy, Fazer Foods is considering changes in production at its Koria factory in Finland. The changes are part of Fazer’s strategy aimed at increasing the company’s share of plant-based products and leveraging the company’s strengths in oats. The Finnish food company says that if the plans go ahead, the Koria factory will focus solely on producing oat-based drinks and products. This will lead to the discontinuation of Fazer’s dairy operations, which are not part of its core business. Kati Rajala, VP of Fazer’s non-dairy and dairy business, said: “With our small scale in dairy production, we are uncompetitive and have been challenged even more in the recent inflationary environment. Improving efficiency of our Koria operations is inevitable to secure our competitiveness.” She added: “A possible discontinuation of the dairy production would enable us to focus on our plant-based core business, in which the Koria factory plays an important role in the future”. The plans have seen the initiation of change negotiations affecting 226 employees, with the company estimating a termination of up to 95 permanent employment contracts. “If the dairy business were to be discontinued…vacancies in other Fazer Group units will be offered with priority to those employees whose employment would possibly be terminated. We will also liaise with the local employment administration,” Rajala continued. “We purchase milk from approximately 20 dairy farmers in Southern and South-East Finland. These farms are very well kept and viable, and we are convinced that many dairies are interested in cooperating with them.” The possible discontinuation of the dairy business would take place in August 2023.

US-based private equity firm, Butterfly, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ingredient manufacturer Milk Specialties Global. Founded in 1949, Milk Specialties – which operates 12 facilities across the US – focuses on the processing of raw dairy inputs, such as milk and whey, into value-added functional ingredients for a range of growing nutrition end markets. Milk Specialties' human nutrition segment produces dairy protein ingredients and products designed to enhance health and wellness. Meanwhile, the company's animal nutrition unit provides science-based animal nutrition products for the dairy industry. “Partnering with a food-focused firm like Butterfly, we can drive enhanced value creation for all partners," said Milk Specialties CEO David Lenzmeier. "We are really looking forward to what the future holds because Butterfly will enable Milk Specialties to achieve a new level of growth." Butterfly's co-founders and co-CEOs, Adam Waglay and Dustin Beck, added: “We’re confident that Milk Specialties’ industry leadership and best-in-class team, combined with our expertise in the space, will enable us to drive even greater success for the business going forward”. Butterfly's managing director, Aaron Kirkbride, commented: “The Milk Specialties team has continually pushed the envelope of quality, service and innovation in the protein space, and we’re thrilled to join them in making high-quality, affordable nutrition products available to even more consumers”. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Beverage brand Prime has released a new energy drink, Prime Energy, containing 200mg of caffeine and zero sugar. The new drinks hold 300mg of electrolytes and contain ten calories, and come in blue raspberry, tropical punch, lemon lime, orange mango and strawberry watermelon flavours. Logan Paul, Prime’s co-founder, said: "We launched Prime with one product line exactly one year ago and we've already grown to surpass some of the biggest players in the industry. It's been surreal to see our growth and now that we're taking on the energy space, I'm excited to see where we can go." The drinks are available in US retailers and on the company website for an RRP of $29.99 per 12-pack. Prime Energy will join the UK market later in the year.

Ginsters has added a new limited edition Cauliflower Cheese Slice to its portfolio of savoury pastries. The Cauliflower Cheese Slice is said to include no artificial colours, preservatives, or flavours. The slice delivers the taste of cauliflower cheese, enclosed in a melt-in-the-mouth puff pastry. The cauliflower is served with Westcountry Cheddar cheese and onion in a creamy sauce, with a hint of nutmeg, wrapped in a light puff pastry and topped with a mature cheddar and black onion seed crumb. Sam Mitchell, Ginsters Managing Director, commented: “We are the market leader in savoury pastry, and we want to drive year-round excitement and bring new shoppers into the category. We have already proven that our limited-edition range can help to do just this, and we hope that this latest delicious flavour innovation will continue to help savoury pastry go from strength to strength.” The Cheese Slice (170g) will be available at UK retailers for an RRP of £1.65 and will be available until May 2023.

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) ruled in favour of the Rs 873 crore (approx. $105.5 million) penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on United Breweries (UBL) and other beer makers on 23 December. CCI imposed penalties on UBL and others for cartelisation in the sale and supply of beer in India on 24 September last year. This was challenged before the NCLAT, an appellate authority over the CCI. After examining materials and considering the arguments presented, two judicial members on the bench concluded that “since the appellant had already admitted in the leniency application regarding their involvement in the cartelisation, the appellants were not justified to argue on merit of the case or point out any fault in the impugned order”. Upon examination of petitions moved by the beer makers to seek a reduction in penalty, NCLAT stated: “It can be inferred that lesser penalty application is like admission of guilt in a cartel”. Justices Rakesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar Mishra added: “Once they have admitted their involvement in application filed under Section 46 read with Regulation 5, they were only entitled to question the imposition of penalty”. The period of cartelisation outlined in the 81-page order was said to have been from March 2005 to at least March 2017.

Independent drinks company Global Brands has announced the acquisition of three alcohol brands from Molson Coors Beverage Company. According to the company, the acquisition of the Hooch, Hooper’s and Reef trademarks will give Global Brands freedom to grow them "in a way that aligns with the company's vision". The brands – which, under license from Molson Coors have been produced and distributed by Global Brands since 2012 – will now form part of its owned portfolio. Nino Beneta, managing director of Molson Coors Export and License EMEA & APAC, said: “We are excited to see Global Brands progress in growing these brands over the last decade and look forward to seeing the continued success and growth of the Reef, Hooper's and Hooch brands going forward”. He added: “Moving forward as an EMEA & APAC Export and License team, our focus will continue to be on a select portfolio of key international brands such as Coors, Staropramen, Carling, Madri Excepcional and Blue Moon.” Steve Perez, chairman and founder of Global Brands, added: "This will give us the opportunity to invest further into the brands with the added security of owning the equity. This deal will reinforce Global Brands’ position as the leading independent producer of RTD brands in the UK”. He continued: “We have lots of ideas for innovation and look forward to sharing these with the trade and consumers shortly. We have enjoyed a fantastic supportive relationship with Molson Coors over the years and look forward to continuing working closely together through their route-to-market team.” Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

US-imported baby formula is likely to be subject to tariffs again after the expiry of exemptions that were implemented last year amid a nationwide shortage. As the availability of powdered baby formula in US stores has improved in recent months, foreign providers that delivered last year are set to be subject to tariffs again. The shortage which began due to pandemic-induced supply chain issues, worsened last year when the biggest US supplier, Abbott Laboratories, recalled some formulas due to safety concerns and closed a manufacturing plant. Citing people familiar with the matter, Wall Street Journal said temporary exemptions will expire soon and foreign importers will face tariffs of up to 17.5%. Out-of-stock levels of powdered baby formula in US stores fell to 14% in October from 30% in July, according to market research company IRI.