German confectioner Katjes Fassin has invested in UK-based candy producer Candy Kittens, growing its portfolio of international businesses.
Candy Kittens was co-founded in 2012 by Jamie Laing – who starred in the UK TV series Made In Chelsea – and his business partner Ed Williams.
The brand produces a range of ‘gourmet’ sweets, which are made without artificial colours and dyes and are gluten-free.
Candy Kittens’ product range is stocked in over 5,000 stores throughout the UK, including major supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
The acquisition represents Katjes Fassin’s latest foray into the UK market, as the confectioner also owns 3D gummy candy printing business The Magic Candy Factory.
Bastian Fassin, managing partner at Katjes said: “Katjes is a pioneer in naturalness and the vegetarian trendsetter in fruit gums, and the values and visions we embody with Katjes are a perfect fit with Candy Kittens’ innovative approach.
“We are looking forward to working together and learning a lot from each other.”
Last year, Katjes International acquired the Italian arm of Swedish confectioner Cloetta for $53 million.
Source: FoodBev
Danone has appointed three deputy CEOs to “better connect categories and regions” and drive the delivery of its ‘Renew Danone’ strategy. The new appointees are Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta, Shane Grant and Juergen Esser. They will report to Danone CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique.
PepsiCo Portugal has announced that it will invest €7.5 million to construct a new biodigester, which will turn organic waste into biogas. As well as helping its Carregado facility to achieve a 30% reduction in carbon emissions, the biodigester will also contribute to reducing gas consumption, allowing the installation to use the biogas produced during the anaerobic digestion process.
Kerry is sponsoring The Kerry Upcycled Food Foundation Fellowship in a new partnership with the Upcycled Food Foundation (UFF), the non-profit subsidiary of the Upcycled Food Association (UFA). The research fellowship is the second initiated by the UFF and will work toward advancing the understanding of the market, consumer perception and technical opportunities of upcycled food.
