Foodiverse invests 14 million Euro in its plants to lead the healthy revolution in Europe

• The company, with expertise in preparing fresh and healthy foods, has production plants in Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and markets its products in the main retail chains across Europe.

• Investment between 2019 and 2020 has allowed production capacity to increase in its factories and to broaden the range of products they prepare

• They have also established in-house laboratories at 3 of their plants to consolidate their quality control processes, as well as improving their efficiency and competitiveness

Foodiverse, a multinational business group expert in preparing fresh, ready-to-eat foods, has consolidated its commitment to become the leader of the healthy revolution in Europe, by significantly investing in its factories over the last two years. In particular, it has invested 14 million Euro in new production lines, as well as installing new tools and processes to help with quality control and efficiency, within its global “GROWING” project.

In doing so, the group has reaffirmed its commitment to keep on growing across Europe, within its corporate strategy based on business development and improved positioning in new markets, countries, and customers through innovative and trendy products.

“Our commitment is solid. We want to be the go-to company for European consumers seeking fresh and healthy products. Continuous investment allows us to be more competitive and to promptly and safely respond to the needs of customers and consumers in terms of volume, quality, innovation and sustainability”, says Rafael Boix, CEO of Foodiverse.

Food safety first

Among the main investments made in the 2019-2020 period is the establishment of in-house quality control laboratories at the plants of Thurländer (Germany), Josef Müller Gemüse (Switzerland) and Novanatura (Italy). The new laboratories, which have seen an overall investment of 400,000 Euro, are equipped with devices to analyse microorganisms through PCR, allowing the products to be quality controlled in the plant itself, prior to being delivered to customers.

This investment falls within the global “SAFETYSHIELD” project and has strengthened and standardised procedures at group level in terms of food safety and quality.

Innovation and greater production capacity

In addition, the group has focused its investments these past two years on increasing production capacity at its plants, with the installation of new, modern and efficient processing lines, as well as lines for the development of new products, all within the framework of the “innovACTIVE” project.

In particular, the investments made in the German plant of Thurländer (€6 million) go hand in hand with innovation and growth. As a result, a new facility has been built for the preparation of bagged salads, a completely new format for the factory, and a line has been installed for the production of super-fresh salads in biodegradable packaging. In terms of volume and efficiency, a new production line has also been installed for trays, another line for carrots and new equipment has been acquired for sealing and packaging.

These improvements have enabled an increase in production capacity and innovation at the German plant, and new products in bagged format have been introduced and are being distributed to customers in Germany and northern Europe.

For its part, the Swiss plant of Josef Müller Gemüse has built new facilities dedicated to the production of pre-cut fruit, meaning its production capacity has doubled in this category. Separate from the salad processing and under specially adapted hygiene and health conditions, the new facilities offer state-of-the-art technology that provide greater versatility, efficiency and control of processes. Furthermore, different aspects relating to food safety and quality have been improved. In total, investment has reached €4 million.

Finally, at the Italian plant of Novanatura,an investment of €1 million has been made to increase the range of products offered, with the installation of a line for the preparation of salads in bowl format. In this way, the company has entered the category that leads the growth in ready-to-eat food in the Italian market and it has introduced its own brand, Sun&Vegs.

Greater flexibility and versatility in Spain

During the 2019-2020 period, investments have been made to the tune of €2 million in the group’s ready-to-eat food plants in Spain. The main items on the balance sheet have been earmarked towards providing facilities with greater flexibility and versatility to respond to new customers’ needs, and new production lines for new products and formats have been installed.

Additionally, investment has been remained stable within the global eSHARE project for digital transformation, in projects related to digitisation and automation of processes at all the group’s plants.