Industry News

GRAY INC. purchased 75-year old ANDERSON DAHLEN, a major builder/fabricator of specialty and stainless steel equipment, expanding Gray’s in-house engineering capabilities. 

CLEANING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP partnered with UK-based UNITECH WASHING SYSTEMS LIMITED to distribute specialty washers to the U.S. 

TRICORBRAUN successfully completed its acquisition of PRICE CONTAINER AND PACKAGING. 

AVEVA will acquire San Leandro, Calif.-based OSISOFT, a provider of real-time industrial data software and services, for $5 billion. 

The MARTIN BAUER GROUP acquired CORE BOTANICA, manufacturer of customized mint leaf products in North America. 

ALLIED ELECTRONICS & AUTOMATION has added seven new suppliers to its portfolio: BROWNING, MCGILL, SEALMASTER, FUJI ELECTRIC, HEYCO, LUTZE AND BIMBA MFD. 

YUENGLING and MOLSON COORS formed a joint venture to expand the geographic footprint of Yuengling beers. 

The COLD PRESSURE COUNCIL welcomed Brazilian-based GREENPEOPLE, supplier of cold-pressed juice, as a member. 

DOVER completed the acquisition of XANTEC STEUERUNGS- UND EDV-TECHNIK GMBH, global developer and supplier of automation and control solutions. 

SWISSLOG is partnering with retailer H-E-B to deploy automated microfulfillment centers. 

PURITY DISTILLERY and BLUE RIDGE SPIRITS AND WINE MARKETING signed an agreement to expand their sales and marketing partnership to cover all 50 states. 

TERRA INGREDIENTS announced a partnership with IYA FOODS to launch multiple cobranded products. 

PREMIUM BRANDS HOLDINGS CORP. acquired GLOBAL GOURMET FOODS INC. and signed an agreement to acquire ALLSEAS FISHERIES INC. 

AMERICAN FLATBREAD announced the launch of a new line of plant-based, flash-frozen pizzas, Meatless Evolution. 

MASTRONARDI PRODUCE (sold under the SUNSET brand) has certified its fifth operation through Equitable Food Initiative. This certification marks a milestone for Mastronardi, making it one of a handful of companies with five or more certified operations. Consumers can find a variety of tomatoes and peppers with the Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured label at participating Costco Wholesale and Whole Foods Market locations. 

UNIVERSAL CORP. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SILVA INTERNATIONAL—a privately held, dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb processing company—for $170 million in cash. 

An affiliate of PEAK ROCK CAPITAL completed its acquisition of HALO FOODS. 

B&W QUALITY GROWERS, global producer of watercress, recently celebrated its 150th birthday. 

BLACKSMITH APPLICATIONS, a provider of SaaS-based trade promotion management and optimization software for CPG manufacturers, has acquired FOOD SALES ENABLERS, bringing together CPG trade effectiveness and sales enablement platforms. 

COHEN & STEERS INC., a listed real assets specialty manager, has invested approximately $100 million in privately-held LINEAGE LOGISTICS, the global supplier of temperature-controlled logistics solutions. 

HIGHLANDER PARTNERS, a middle market private equity firm based in Dallas acquired Columbus, Ohio-based HILO NUTRITION INC., an emerging player in the nutrition and wellness category. 

INFOR, a provider of business cloud software specialized by industry, announced that SYMEGA FOOD INGREDIENTS, an ingredients manufacturer, has automated business operations with Infor PLM (Optiva) to promote collaboration, enterprisewide visibility, and scalability to accelerate innovation and growth. 

GRUBMARKET completed the acquisition of FRESH TEX PRODUCE, a provider of an array of fresh fruits and vegetables, with established customer base in Texas, New England, the Midwest, and other major metropolitan areas around the U.S. 

PENSKE LOGISTICS has earned the Cold Carrier Certification, the first certification of its kind focused on excellence in refrigerated transportation through the GLOBAL COLD CHAIN ALLIANCE, a trade association for the cold chain industry working to grow the industry. 

PINC, digital yard management solution provider, announced a partnership with PROJECT44, global provider of supply chain visibility for shippers and logistics service providers. 

WUNDERLICH-MALEC ENGINEERING and QUARTIC.AI formed an alliance to deliver smart manufacturing solutions for industrial applications using WM’s automation expertise and the Quartic Platform’s IIoT, machine learning and AI capabilities. 

SOVOS BRANDS, a food company backed by global private equity firm Advent International, has signed an agreement to acquire the business of BIRCH BENDERS, a fast-growing producer of better-for-you pancake and waffle mixes, toaster waffles, and pancake and baking cups.

People News

BARRY-WEHMILLER COMPANIES INC. promoted KYLE CHAPMAN to president, joining his father, CEO and Board Chairman Robert Chapman, in leadership of the 135-year-old, $3 billion-plus firm. 

FRISTAM PUMPS USA announced that TIM NELSON has joined the company as Midwest regional sales manager. 

TRIANGLE PACKAGE MACHINERY CO. hired JEFFREY SCHUCH as regional sales manager-Southeast. 

BOSCH REXROTH NORTH AMERICA announced that President and CEO PAUL COOKE will retire at year’s end, and his successor will be GREG GUMBS, formerly VP and general manager of Electrical Automation Solutions at Eaton Corporation. 

STELLAR named JASON MOORE as corporate business developer for the Western U.S. 

JONES SODA CO. appointed 38-year CPG and foodservice industry veteran MARK MURRAY as president. 

PULSE INTEGRATION appointed MATTHEW CHANG as chief of strategy and innovation.  

LAYN NATURAL INGREDIENTS appointed JIM ROZA as chief scientific adviser. 

JBT CORP. announced that TOM GIACOMINI has returned to the company as president and chief executive officer, following a personal leave of absence for medical reasons. BRIAN DECK, who has been serving as interim CEO, will continue to serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer, and ALAN FELDMAN will continue in his role as interim nonexecutive chairman through the end of the year. 

SWIFT SENSORS appointed RAY ALMGREN as its chief executive officer. 

PEPSICO INC. announced that ATHINA KANIOURA has been appointed executive vice president and chief strategy and transformation officer. She will report to Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta. 

CLEAN JUICE welcomed AMANDA HALL as its new chief operating officer. 

FLOWERS FOODS INC. announced that BRAD CASHAW has been named chief supply chain officer. He will be responsible for supply chain operations. 

DELI STAR CORP. hired MICHELLE CLARAVALL as its director of research and development. In this role, she will lead operational aspects of the Culinary Innovation Team, working alongside company chefs, culinologists and food scientists. 

SHOTGUN SELTZER has experienced significant growth under co-founders Brad and Lori Foster and has hired CRAIG REEVES as general manager, TERRY NANCE as West region sales manager, DAVID GARCIA as East region sales manager, and TIMM ALDRICH as chain sales manager. 

VERUS INTERNATIONAL INC. named consumer products distribution expert ANDY DHRUV to the new role of president of Verus Foods (Americas). Dhruv will oversee sales, operations, and efforts of domestic product lines, including Big League Foods, Pachyderm Labs, and future lines targeting the U.S. market. 

STEFAN SCHEIBER, CEO of Bühler Group, was elected as a new member of the Board of Directors of BÜHLER HOLDING AG at a general shareholders’ meeting in August. Ruth Metzler-Arnold announced she will resign from the board by February. 

ORGANIC VALLEY promoted NICOLE RAKOBITSCH to director of sustainability, launching a new centralized department for the nation’s largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative. While dairy faces questions around climate change and the impact of animal agriculture, Rakobitsch leads projects to improve the sustainability of organic family farms. 

THE COLLABORATIVE (previously The Coconut Collaborative) announced that ADRIA CAMPBELL has joined the company as executive vice president of sales, North America. 

RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. announced that SAMI SIDDIQUI was appointed president of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for the Americas. 

SYNDIGO, a SaaS product information and syndication company, and a portfolio company of The Jordan Company, announced the appointment of CHRIS BRADLEY as senior vice president, Canada. This is a newly created position that will be focused on continued expansion in Canada. 

JUAN PABLO PEREZ, CFO for Smurfit Kappa the Americas, was appointed as the new president of the CORRUGATORS ASSOCIATION OF THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA (ACCCSA). For 40 years, the association has contributed to the development and growth of the Latin American corrugated industry through the exchange of experiences, ideas and technological knowledge.