Italy: Emmi acquires Italian Fresh Foods

Swiss dairy firm Emmi has announced that it is buying dessert maker Italian Fresh Foods in a bid to "strengthen its position in the dessert segment and reinforce its expertise in an attractive niche market".

Based in Lasnigo, Como, Italy, Italian Fresh Foods is described as an international company which manufactures and markets high-quality Italian desserts. Since the launch of its best-known Dolce Italia brand in 1992, the firm has developed a line of tiramisu and other Italian desserts and now generates annual sales of almost €20 million, 85% of which come from outside Italy. The firm's key markets are described as the Netherlands and the UK.

Commenting on the news, Emmi CEO Urs Riedener said: "Italian Fresh Foods is an agile, innovative manufacturer of high-quality Italian desserts. The product portfolio suits Emmi extremely well and strengthens a segment that is strategically important for the company".

Desserts area key area of Emmi's product portfolio, the company said, adding that the purchase of Italian Fresh Foods was intended to provide access to the Netherlands, USA and Canada where Emmi has so far had little presence in desserts.

Source: Emmi