UK: Florette acquires Axgro Foods

Florette, the French salad vegetable firm, has acquired leading UK beetroot supplier Axgro Foods as it looks to expand its product portfolio.

Axgro Foods produces cooked, pickled and flavoured beetroot products both under the Lincolnshire Beetroot Company brand and for private label. In its latest filed accounts, the firm posted a turnover of £13.7 million ($17.8 million) for the year to 31 August 2015.

Commenting on the acquisition, Florette UK managing director Doug Robertson said: “The acquisition is part of our long-term strategy to diversify our product portfolio and provide our customers with even more variety. Florette is no stranger to beetroot, a key component in our popular Superfood salad and we understand its multiple nutritional benefits and appeal to the health-conscious consumer”.

“Axgro Foods is a grower-based farmer group that shares similar business values to Florette UK & Ireland, therefore we are confident this new acquisition will be a good addition to the Florette portfolio”, he added. “We would like to welcome Axgro Foods to the Florette family and look forward to continued growth together".

Florette said it planned develop and invest in the Axgro Foods business, which will continue to operate from its current Lincolnshire location.

Source: Fresh Produce Journal