Tetra Pak is strengthening its product offerings for ice cream manufacturers with the acquisition of Big Drum Engineering GmbH, a supplier of filling machines for the industry.
The deal further extends the company’s ability to provide end-to-end solutions for food and beverage companies around the world and reinforces its global leadership in the sector.
Tetra Pak already provides a full range of ice cream equipment, including raw material storage, mix preparation, continuous freezing and inclusion systems, as well as production solutions for molded and extruded ice cream products. The acquisition of Big Drum will strengthen the company’s presence in the “filled” ice cream segment, including tubs and cones, which represent approximately half of the global packaged ice cream market.
Monica Gimre, Executive Vice President, Processing Systems at Tetra Pak says: “This acquisition means we can now provide an even more extensive range of product solutions for ice cream manufacturers and expand our collaboration with them. This, in turn, will allow us to deliver even greater value, by securing efficiencies in technical service across a number of different lines, and offering portfolio-wide support to their product development and marketing activities.”
Big Drum, which is based in Edertal, Germany, is a leading provider of medium-to-high capacity filling machines for the global ice cream market. It is a highly-respected supplier to major brands and is recognized for its innovation, quality, and performance.
Hans-Peter Trosse and Matthias Ruppert, Managing Directors of Big Drum, jointly notes: “We see significant growth opportunities through Tetra Pak. We are convinced that we will be able to provide stronger support to our customers, thanks to Tetra Pak’s worldwide presence, extensive sales and service channels, technical support and expertise in food manufacturing.”
Following the acquisition, all Big Drum managers and employees will remain with the company at their current location.
Source: Food Ingredients First
Currently chief executive of GreenV – an international group of companies active in the horticultural sector – van Karnebeek spent a large portion of his career at Heineken, working in commercial, marketing and general management positions. He served as chief commercial officer at the Dutch brewer from 2015 until 2021.
The facility combines the existing Kerry office in Barcelona with a new customer suite and application labs. It will enable the company to work more closely with its customers in Southern Europe to develop food and beverage solutions.
The sweet and culinary flavor creation labs are the latest addition to the company’s expansive campus that has been in operation since 1964, spanning more than 312,150 square feet in Brabrand, Denmark. The innovation hub is home to more than 400 employees engaged in research, application development, ingredient and flavor creation.
