Refresco, the global independent beverage solutions provider for retailers and global, national, and emerging (GNE) brands in Europe, North America, and Australia, today announces it has successfully completed a EUR 400 million Term Loan B.

This transaction adds a new stand-alone EUR 400 million Term Loan B with an interest rate of EURIBOR plus 3.50%. Proceeds from the TLB will be used to repay its borrowings under its Revolving Credit Facility, repay EUR 100 million of its existing EUR Term Loan B (E+3.75%), and increase cash on balance sheet.

CFO Refresco, Bill McFarland, commented: “We are pleased with the strong market demand for our Term Loan B, and with the enhanced liquidity and financial flexibility this transaction provides. Refresco continues to deliver on our Buy & Build strategy – including our most recent announcement on our agreement to acquire Frias – while strengthening our balance sheet and improving our credit metrics. We appreciate the recognition and support of the markets.”

No other material changes were made to the terms and conditions of the TLB. The maturity date of the TLB remains July 2029, as per the existing facilities.

As part of the transaction, the Company has also increased its Revolving Credit Facility by EUR 125 million to EUR 625 million.

GEA will invest around EUR 50 million in the modernization of its German centrifuge production facilities in Oelde (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Niederahr (Rhineland-Palatinate) by the end of 2024. The engineering group made the announcement at a press conference marking the 130th anniversary of GEA separation technology at its Oelde site. By investing in sustainable production, digitalisation and automation, GEA is targeting further growth in its key markets, which include the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

GEA centrifuges are used in more than 3,500 different processes in a wide range of industries. Growth drivers include applications for alternative protein production and global demand for dairy products. The investment package for the centrifuge plants is based on four pillars: sustainability, digitalisation, automation and modern manufacturing technologies.

Climate-friendly production through the use of renewable energy

Already today all GEA production sites are powered by green electricity. In the long term the electricity supply for GEA’s sites will come from local renewable energy sources. At the Oelde facility, several large-scale photovoltaic systems will cover about one-tenth of the site’s electricity requirements, including the provision of electromobility. An in-house combined heat and power plant already generates around 30 percent of the electricity required. Since waste heat is also used, 94 percent of the primary energy utilised is recycled. Process heat generation, which is important for production, will also be converted to alternatives such as electric steam generation, which will enable the Oelde and Niederahr sites to operate without gas in the near future.