Industry News

PPC partners
PPC Partners acquired C.H. Guenther & Son Inc., a producer of branded and private-label food products for foodservice, quick-serve restaurants, club and retail customers around the globe.

The J.M. Smucker Company
The J.M. Smucker Company acquired Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, LLC in a transaction valued at approximately $1.7 billion, after an estimated tax benefit of $200 million. Smucker also says it will explore strategic options for its US baking business, including a potential sale.

Sysco Corp.  
Sysco Corp. acquired Kent Frozen Foods, a UK-based foodservice distributor.

Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Archer Daniels Midland Co. restructured into four business units: carbohydrate solutions, nutrition, origination and oilseeds.

Alibaba  
Alibaba fully acquired Ele.me, an online food delivery platform in China, in a $9.5 billion deal.

Berlin Packaging 
Berlin Packaging, a full-service supplier of glass, plastic and metal containers and closures, announced with Bruni Glass the strategic acquisition of H. Erben Ltd., a Hadleigh, England-based supplier of closures, packaging and packaging equipment with strength in the food and drinks sectors.

ProMach 
ProMach, a packaging machinery solutions provider, announced the completion of its acquisition by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners from affiliates of AEA Investors. 

Duravant  
Duravant, a global engineered equipment manufacturer, has acquired QC Industries, a conveyor systems manufacturer headquartered in Cincinnati, OH.

HelloFresh  
HelloFresh, a meal kit delivery service, acquired Boulder-CO-based Green Chef, which offers USDA-certified organic, vegan and gluten-free meal kits.

JBT Corporation  
JBT Corporation, a solutions provider for the food and beverage processing industries, did a comprehensive relaunch of its online presence, with the introduction of a redesigned flagship website at www.jbtc.com.

People News

Ocean Spray Cranberries
The board of directors at Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. unanimously elected Bobby J. Chacko as president and CEO. He joined Ocean Spray in 2017 as chief growth officer.

Rice’s Honey
Rice’s Honey, a producer of high-quality, US-only raw and unfiltered honey since 1924, named Mike Mullins VP of sales. 

Bühler Aeroglide
Bühler Aeroglide, a provider of thermal process engineering and technology for the food, feed and industrial markets, appointed Mark Newton as regional manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Dorner Mfg. Corp.
Scott Volk was appointed territory sales manager covering Indiana for Dorner Mfg. Corp. 

Mi Rancho
Mi Rancho, a producer and global distributor of tortillas and Mexican foods, appointed Dennis Cole as director of retail sales.

NETZSCH Pumps
NETZSCH Pumps North America, LLC named David Kirk the business field manager for North America for the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Benchmark
Benchmark, a leader in food distribution and loading solutions for the food and bakery industries, named Andrew Entrikin as regional sales manager for its South Central region.