Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced the exclusive launch in the French market of its new fresh fruit juice brand, Montebelo Brasil, in collaboration with Laiterie de Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel (LSDH) for commercialisation, bottling and distribution. This initiative aims to establish Montebelo Brasil as a market reference among fresh (or chilled) fruit juices in France, while ensuring traceability of oranges, from Brazilian groves to selected retail shelves.
Inspired by its eponymous Brazilian plantation, certified by the Rainforest Alliance, the development of the Montebelo Brasil brandis part of LDC’s strategic vision to extend its reach further downstream in the value chain, while offering distribution solutions to its customers and partners. It also reflects LDC’s focus to further diversify its Juice Platform portfolio with sustainable, traceable and high-quality products directly to end consumers.
“Our ambition for this project is twofold: to offer a 100 % natural product while ensuring traceability of the oranges, thereby establishing a connection between LDC as citrus producer in Brazil and the end consumer. Our commitment also addresses the demands of increasingly discerning consumers who are concerned about the origin and journey of the products they consume,” said Aurélien Grisval, Head of Downstream Market for Juice, LDC.
The Montebelo Brasil line includes eight fresh fruit juices:
- Two pure orange juices (with and without pulp);
- Two lemonades (yellow lemon, and a blend of yellow and green lemon); and
- The following product range developed in collaboration with renowned Brazilian chef Tabata Mey: Pure mango, pineapple and lime juice; Coconut water, mango, pineapple, lime pure juice; Orange, maracuja, lime nectar ; and a lime maté beverage.
“We are proud to launch this new brand, which embodies our expertise as a global agricultural merchant dedicated to serving our customers, and our commitments as a responsible citrus grower in Brazil for over 35 years,” said Georges-Edouard Duriez, Head of Development and Strategy for Juice, LDC.
France was a natural choice for the brand launch, with its dynamic retail juice market that, per capita consumption, ranks second globally, with approximately 1.1 billion liters consumed annually, and for the opportunities offered by the chilled juice category in terms of value.
“Beyond the clear commercial opportunities, this launch in France, birthplace of the Group and homeland of its founder, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, has profound significance for LDC. Making this launch a success will be a wonderful way to honor this legacy,” concluded Georges-Edouard Duriez.
Montebelo Brasil fruit juices are already available throughout France at Monoprix stores and Carrefour hyper and supermarkets in 1-liter and 250-milliliter bottles, and will soon be available at over 2,000 other outlets.
Neste is partnering with two new distributors in France to make Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ available for the first time in the market and to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission in the transport sector.
“We are very proud to start our collaboration with two new fuel distribution partners, Altens and Bolloré Energy in the French market. In France, transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 30 % of all emissions. With Neste MY Renewable Diesel, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by as much as 75 – 95%* over the life cycle of the fuel compared to fossil diesel,” says Peter Zonneveld, VP Sales EMEA, Renewable Road Transportation at Neste.
Many French truck transportation companies, public fleets, construction companies and large fleet operators are in the process of switching to more sustainable energy sources, but a large part of the French road transport is still powered by fossil diesel. Neste’s collaboration with two new fuel distributors help French companies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions with their existing fleet by switching fossil diesel to renewable diesel. Neste MY Renewable Diesel is an immediate solution for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, suitable for all diesel engines without any need to invest in new vehicle fleets or modifications to the vehicles or their engine.
Neste, Altens and Bolloré Energy wish to emphasize that if France wants to reach the goals set by the French government through the energy climate law and the national low-carbon strategy, while also meeting the European targets, its energy-climate strategy must include the use of biofuels and low-carbon liquid fuels alongside electric and hydrogen. All solutions should be considered when addressing climate change.
*The GHG emission reduction percentage varies depending on the region-specific legislation that provides the methodology for the calculations (e.g. EU RED II 2018/2001/EU for Europe and US California LCFS for the US), and the raw material mix used to manufacture the product for each market.
The Coca-Cola Company has been present in France for the last 100 years, serving as a key contributor to the food and beverage industry. The Coca-Cola system has always been an integral part of the French economic ecosystem, especially through the production and distribution activities of bottling companies in the country.
The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), the primary bottling partner in the country, together plan to invest as much as one billion euros behind the introduction of new products in the French market; the expansion of bottling capacity and modernization at CCEP’s manufacturing plants; innovations; and ongoing support of company brands. Both companies will support the hosting of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, following the extension of a partnership between Coca-Cola and the IOC, which was announced in July 2019.
CCEP has earmarked €500 million to further strengthen its production and distribution network.
After investing €350 million since 2013, CCEP continues to invest to adapt its manufacturing network to changes in consumer preferences and to accelerate its transition to a circular economy, including packaging transformation.
For example, after adding a bottling line dedicated to glass bottles in 2019, CCEP will invest in the plant in Socx (Dunkerque) to equip the site with a state-of-the-art aseptic bottling line in mid-2020, which will enable CCEP to meet the increasing consumer demand for Fuze Tea, the ready-to-drink tea brand launched in 2018, and for Tropico, the juice drink company acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in September 2018. Additional investments across all five CCEP plants in France will enable the introduction of a higher quantity of recycled material in bottles and cans and the replacement of plastic by cardboard for secondary packaging.
The €500 million in investments will be progressively committed over the next five years in production and commercialization and will include a provision for CCEP to invest in new cooling equipment for its customers and in accelerating the company’s digitalization journey.
In parallel, The Coca-Cola Company will invest €500 million to support the development of its current brands and introduce new products in the French market.
Coca-Cola is evolving as a total beverage company that focuses on better satisfying consumer needs. Following the successful launch of Fuze Tea and the acquisition of Tropico in 2018, the company today confirmed its intent to strengthen its existing positions and accelerate its entry into new categories.
Coca-Cola will invest as much as €500 million in France over the next five years. These investments will be a combination of media, brand experiences or strategic partnerships, such as the support of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Board of Britvic announced that it has entered into exclusive discussions with Refresco over the potential sale by Britvic of its three juice manufacturing sites in France, its related private label juice business, and the Fruité brand. The proposed sale is subject to a consultation process with the relevant employee representatives, which has now been initiated, and also subject to competition clearance by the French Competition Authority. Britvic will retain ownership of the Pressade and Fruit Shoot brands, which would be manufactured by Refresco as part of a long-term partner arrangement. The transaction will not affect the Teisseire and Moulin De Valdonne brands or the private label syrups business, which are all manufactured at the remaining site in Crolles.
The value of the transaction is not material and would result in a modest impact on adjusted EBIT. The transaction would be expected to complete in Spring 2020. The retained business would be smaller and higher margin, enabling the local management team to focus on building its branded business. An update will be provided at the Preliminary results announcement on 27 November 2019.
About Britvic
Britvic is one of the leading branded soft drinks businesses in Europe. The company combines its own leading brand portfolio including Robinsons, Tango, J2O, Fruit Shoot, Teisseire and MiWadi with PepsiCo brands such as Pepsi, 7UP and Lipton Ice Tea which Britvic produces and sells in GB and Ireland under exclusive PepsiCo agreements.
Britvic is the largest supplier of branded still soft drinks in Great Britain (“GB”) and the number two supplier of branded carbonated soft drinks in GB. Britvic is an industry leader in the island of Ireland with brands such as MiWadi and Ballygowan, in France with brands such as Teisseire and Pressade and in Brazil with Maguary and Dafruta. Britvic is growing its reach into other territories through franchising, export and licensing. Britvic’s management team has successfully developed the business through a clear strategy of organic growth and international expansion based on creating and building scale brands. Britvic is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the code BVIC and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index.
Glass container manufacturer Owens-Illinois (O-I) has announced an investment of more than €50m to upgrade its Reims plant in Marne, France.
As part of the modernization, the O-I will add new high-tech equipement, provide new overall layout and additional technical innovations to optimize flexibility, capabilities and energy-efficiency.
O-I Group Southwest Europe country executive Francois Pierrot said: “This is a strategic investment to strengthen our position in the Champagne business. We will be able to serve our customers in the premium segment even better with improved flexibility at the plant and within O-I’s overall manufacturing network in France.”
The scope of the project includes complete renewal of one of the plant’s two furnaces, in addition to all-new industrial equipment on the attached production lines. O-I is planning to complete the upgrade by the middle of this year. The company will also recruit around 30 new employees at Reims facility to further advance its capabilities.
Once the upgrade completes, the Reims facility will hold capacity to manufacture bottles in three colors and full range from 0.2 l to Magnum-size. Reims plant already employees 200 people in various areas such as production, supply and procurement, and maintenance.
Reims facility, which is situated at the center of Champagne vineyard, also provides services to the premium wine customers located in the other regions of France such as Burgundy, Alsace and the Loire Valley.
O-I’s Reims plant manager Dallah Mekki said: “This €50 million project is a major long-term commitment to the Reims area. It represents one of the biggest investments in the region during the last few years, further bolstering O-I’s reputation as a strong player in the region and making the plant an even more attractive employer. In addition, the investment will increase the flexibility and logistics advantages we offer to our Champagne customers.”
