Consumers can choose from either creamy dessert yogurt meets crunchy hazelnuts, or finely sweet strawberries with chocolate chips.

The new Nöm Cremix varieties hazelnut and strawberry chocolate will be available in 180g cups.

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The organic growth of 2.2%, is broadly supported across all divisions. In the second half of the year, sales grew organically much faster than in the first half of the year, especially in Switzerland and the Europe divisions. The growth drivers were the strategic niche markets such as Italian dessert specialities and goat milk products, Emmi Caffè Latte and the growth markets of Latin America and North Africa.

The past year was also characterised by intensive work on the investment and product portfolio in line with the long-term corporate strategy. Emmi’s position in growth markets outside Europe was further strengthened and investments were made in niches.

“We were very active in terms of acquisitions in 2019 and have thus tapped important development potential for the coming years. In this way we can strengthen our business in growth markets, promote branded products and further expand our strong positions in Italian desserts and goat milk products,” explained Urs Riedener, CEO of Emmi.

In Switzerland, organic growth of 1% was higher than expected, partly due to the positive development of Emmi Caffè Latte and the milk price increase as of October.

By contrast, organic growth in the Americas division of 4.1% was at the lower end of the target range. Business with cow and goat milk cheese, Emmi Caffè Latte in Spain and the Mexico market developed particularly well in this division. The ongoing unrest in Chile and the low milk production in Tunisia are a challenge, the company said.

The Europe division recorded organic growth of 1.6%, which has been adjusted downwards as part of the half-year results. In Europe, the strategically relevant niche markets such as Italian dessert specialities and goat’s milk products posted encouraging growth. While Emmi Caffè Latte also grew strongly in Europe, declining volumes and lower prices at the Gläsernen Molkerei in Germany weighed on division growth in Europe.

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Italian desserts represent an important strategic pillar for the development of the European business of the Emmi Group. Therefore, the existing Emmi Dessert Italia network, consisting of the three production sites in Gattico in northern Italy, Pero and Lasnigo, will be complemented by the integration of Pasticceria Quadrifoglio, with its two locations near Modena.

Pasticceria Quadrifoglio is well established in its Italian home market both in the food retail trade and, in particular, in Italian food service. Emmi expects the takeover to provide new desserts for its larger network.

The new Emmi subsidiary also enjoys a good reputation for innovation and product quality in food retailing. The Sorbissimo line – a sorbet drink that enjoys great popularity primarily as a dessert in Italian food culture – stands out in terms of innovation.

The other dessert specialties, which are offered as single portions in high-quality glass packaging, are important drivers of the company’s continued double-digit growth. Furthermore, Pasticceria Quadrifoglio is also successful in ice cream.

The firm generated net sales of around €19 million in 2018 and the Canali family remains in charge of operations.

In the future Emmi wants to continue and expand the successful model of the founding family and their team. Synergies with the other Emmi Dessert Italia subsidiaries are to be realised successively.

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Satiagel Seabrid is a new type of carrageenan extract, based on 100% cultivated seaweed, enabling a reliable supply of sustainably sourced ingredients while also delivering the texture preferred by consumers. This launch follows the 2017 debut of Cargill’s Seabrid solution for gelled dairy desserts.

Caroline Delabrousse, dairy application specialist for Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturisers, says, “From our recent global proprietary consumer research, we found that texture is a strong deciding factor in consumer food preferences.

“In line with current trends, consumers look for full-bodied products with a creamy texture. Our research also revealed that over 70% of consumers look at creaminess and a smooth texture as the main criteria to determine whether they will purchase a dairy dessert again. Employing a new technology, we can now replicate the functionality of wild seaweed using cultivated seaweed, offering food developers a reliable solution to achieve an appealing creamy texture.”

Euromonitor 2018 forecasts that the demand for dairy desserts will continue to increase steadily, with the Middle East and Africa as well as Eastern Europe being the fastest growing regions.

Xavier Martin, global seaweed product manager for Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturisers, adds, “As demand for dairy grows, we find consumers searching for the ideal combination of premium quality dairy desserts at affordable prices.

“Seabrid’s hybrid-like functionality provides the premium textures consumers seek, including outstanding creaminess, body and mouthfeel in any type of crème dessert, custard, or multi-layered desserts, while also enabling an attractive price.”

The Seabrid portfolio of texturisers is designed to help dairy manufacturers deliver textures for creamy as well as gelled dairy dessert formulations. It is part of Cargill’s broad portfolio of texturising solutions, which includes complete texture choices for its customers derived from plant sources such as extracts from major crops (starches, soy proteins and lecithins), seaweeds (carrageenans), fruits (pectins) and sugar fermentation (xanthan gum).

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Beverages made with yogurt, topped with cream cheese and mixed with cream are growing in popularity, leading Fonterra to establish a new channel within its Global Foodservice business, Beverage House.

Almost 600 million cups of tea and coffee are consumed out-of-home daily in the Asia Pacific region, a 22% increase on five years ago.

Susan Cassidy, general manager marketing, global foodservice, says Beverage House will provide premium Anchor Food Professionals products to the growing number of modern coffee and tea houses, beverage kiosks and dessert bars.

“In Asia, consumers are moving from traditional ‘straight’ brews to drinks with dairy, as they look for a more indulgent way to enjoy their daily fix of coffee or tea,” comments Cassidy.

The trend of adding dairy to more traditional beverages started in China with the tea macchiato, which is green tea topped with a mix of cream and cream cheese.

“This trend was really driven by youth and took off, with people queuing for hours to get the latest creation from their favourite tea house.”

“We moved quickly and as a result the tea macchiato alone grew the volume of our cream and cream cheese sales by 47% in the first half of the 2017/18 financial year.”

Since the start of 2018 Beverage House has sold more than 30,000 metric tonnes of product, enough to create the equivalent of more than 400 million tea macchiatos.

“Beverage House has mainly been focused on China so far, but the potential for growth in other markets is huge. We are now using what we’ve learnt to look at other markets where beverages with dairy are growing in popularity.”

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The brand is known to deliver small cups to cater to children, however the classic two-layer dessert Monte is now available in a larger packaging unit.

The new format is a 400g cup.

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Julie Plant, managing director at Emmi UK, comments, “Our insights show that busy consumers want an ‘everyday’ dessert or treat – not just something that is saved for the weekend or special occasions. Ooola Secrets is designed to hit that sweet spot – perfect portion-controlled indulgence without any compromise.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into the design and packaging to create an incomparable dessert range as an extension to our portfolio of brands.”

The launch will be supported by an integrated marketing plan, including advertising, PR, social media engagement and sampling.

Ooola Secrets is available in Tesco, Costcutter, P&H and Independent stores nationwide, with an RRP of £2.39 (€2.71) for a three-pack.

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The company plans to develop its brands Müllerlight, Müller Corner and Müller Rice, in addition to building on its licensing agreement with Mondelez to develop its range of Cadbury products.

Capacity and capabilities at its three sites in Shropshire, UK will be further upgraded, including doubling the size of the Telford facility by 2020.

Plans for its yogurt and desserts business are guided by a category vision which identified a potential £233m of yogurt and desserts category growth by 2020, to be delivered by bringing new products to the market.

This year, Müller has introduced a range of ‘Big Pot’ yogurts, its first ever whipped, fat-free Greek style yogurt and its first branded shareable dessert. It has also announced the arrival of Müller White Velvet and two Müller Corner SKUs with spoons to target the growing food to go market.

And most recently, the company introduced Müller Rice 5 Grains, which includes white rice, barley, spelt, millet and wheat. It is an on-the-go snack for consumers.

Müller has also extended its successful partnership with British Athletics so that it has branding and activation rights for six major athletics events in 2018 and 2019.

Bergen Merey, managing director of Müller Yogurt & Desserts, says, “This unprecedented level of investment will ensure that we can offer an increasing portfolio of great yogurt and desserts products made in Britain with milk from British farmers, which meet the needs of our customers.

“Müller’s approach in the UK within the yogurt and desserts and milk and ingredients sectors, is to grow our capabilities so that we can reduce the UK’s dependence on imported dairy products, and build a vibrant future for the British dairy industry.”

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Also, they like added-value products, and tend to enjoy going to ice cream parlours, dessert shops and coffee houses.

Truthfully, we all enjoy this. When eating ice cream at home, convenience and taste is key, but when we go out for ice cream, a bit of added value is essential. I can have a lump of ice cream at home. I want a bit of a show when I head out of the house from my desserts.

And even though it remains the world’s number one flavour, ice cream is not just about vanilla anymore. Added value means new flavours and tastes. At any rate, vanilla’s likely to become more expensive as the crop failed in Madagascar this year, due to a tropical cyclone that hit the island earlier this year and damaged about 30% of the total crop. The island makes up around three quarters of the world supply. Thus, alternative flavours and using other ingredients are going to be even more essential in today’s global ice cream market.

Whatever you do, make sure it stays natural: 59% of urban Chinese consumers are willing to buy ice cream products that feature a “100% natural/no additive” claim, especially among soft-serve ice cream users (68%). Furthermore, consumers aged 30-39 say they are willing to pay more for “100% natural/no additive” products (65% compared to 59% of consumers overall.)

Natural is a trend that’s here to stay, no matter where you are.

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Overall, the ice cream market in China has seen a decline in retail volume, with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of -1.6% between 2014 and 2016. However, the total retail market value is on the rise due to consumers trading up for new formats and flavours.

Better for you options are among the more popular premium features; 59% of urban Chinese consumers are willing to buy ice cream products that feature a “100% natural/no additive” claim, especially among soft-serve ice cream users (68%). Furthermore, consumers aged 30-39 say they are willing to pay more for “100% natural/no additive” products (65% compared to 59% of consumers overall.)

Cheryl Ni, food and drink analyst at Mintel, says, “Urban Chinese consumers are paying more attention to their health, while still looking for opportunities for indulgence, which should not be compromised. Given the fact that more consumers today are eating ice cream as a snack or a dessert at home compared to previous years, family-size tubs or multipack offerings will have further opportunities.

“Also, there is scope for ice cream to be positioned as ‘mood food’, allowing consumers —especially the younger generations — the ability to soothe life’s stresses away as they indulge in a treat while paying a premium price for it.”

Meanwhile, declining consumption appears in both retail and non-retail channels. Mintel research indicates that the percentage of ice cream non-users has risen from 4% in 2012 to 11% in 2017. Purchases at retail channels (net) (76%) is lower than non-retail channels (net) (93%), with the number of urban Chinese consumers who bought ice cream from supermarkets/hypermarkets declining from 85% in 2012 to 52% in 2017. Similar declines can be seen at grocery retailers, which dropped from 42% to 12% in the same time period.

The market has experienced significant growth in online channels, including online brand stores increasing from 3% to 16% between 2012 and 2017. Mintel research indicates that this growth is driven by high earners who are more likely to be fans of online channels (23%).

Ni continues, “Shopping for ice cream products from online retailers is usually more expensive given the cost of cold chain delivery. However, we are seeing a growing number of imported ice cream brands available in online stores, providing more premium choices for consumers with a higher spending power.”

More Chinese consumers in tier one cities claim to eat packaged ice cream as a snack during their leisure time, particularly those located in Shanghai (57% vs 49% of consumers overall.) When it comes to location, ice cream parlours, dessert shops and coffee shops seem to be the favourite spots for eating ice cream.

Finally, it appears that young urban Chinese consumers aged 20-24 are particularly interested in value-added features, such as “edible containers that taste good” (42%), “customised flavours/shapes” (35%) and “innovative packaging” (33%).

Ni concludes, “The shift in consumption occasions redefines the ice cream market which is no longer an alternative to a cooling drink, but an indulgent treat that can bring a sense of enjoyment and happiness.

“Consumers in tier one cities prefer healthy versions of ice cream, but they don’t want to compromise on enjoyment, and this is why manufacturers should optimise recipes to achieve a balance of both.”

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New research from Mintel reveals that the global ice cream market is expected to scoop sales of 13 billion litres in 2016, with India, Indonesia and Vietnam among the world’s fastest growing markets. While India’s ice cream market has experienced a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13% over the past five years, in 2017, volume sales in India are set to overtake those of more established markets, including the UK. Ice cream sales in India are forecast to reach 381.8 million litres in 2017, with the market forecast to reach 657.2 million litres in 2021.

India’s strong CAGR is closely followed by Indonesia (11%), Vietnam (9%), Turkey (9%) and Malaysia (8%). On the other hand, volume sales of ice cream in Switzerland have had a lower CAGR of -3% over the past five years, followed by Thailand (-2%), Denmark (-2%), the UK (-2%) and the US (-1%).

Alex Beckett, global food and drink analyst at Mintel, says, “The rapidity with which India’s ice cream market is expanding is worth noting. The low per capita consumption of retail ice cream in India demonstrates the exciting potential in what is the world’s second most populated country, although competition from street vendors should not be underestimated.

Western consumers are increasingly looking to try ice cream products with more Eastern inspired flavours. Over a quarter (30%) of Canadians would be interested in ethnically-inspired ice cream flavours, such as green tea or mango, while 23% would be interested in internationally inspired ice cream formats, such as Japanese mochi ice cream or Indian kulfi.

In Europe too, ice cream eaters are acquiring a taste for the exotic. As many as 20% of Italian, 17% of Polish and 16% of French consumers would be interested in trying ice cream with ethnic-inspired ingredients, such as wasabi, green tea or saffron.

Finally, Mintel research shows that the share of global dessert and ice cream launches featuring a vegan claim has increased from 2% in 2014 to 3% in 2015 and 4% in 2016, with Europe accounting for 59% of all launches in 2016.

The rise in innovation comes as many consumers are looking to cut down on their dairy consumption. As many as three in ten (29%) Italians say they are actively reducing their consumption or are avoiding dairy, followed by a quarter (23%) of French consumers, 16% of Polish consumers and 14% of Germans.

Germany, meanwhile, is renowned for its non-dairy ice cream innovation, and accounted for 19% of global vegan dessert and ice cream launches in 2016 – more than any other country. This reflects Mintel research that 63% of German ice cream consumers express an interest in non-dairy versions.

“Consumers’ aspirations to live healthier and ‘cleaner’ lifestyles are motivating them to increasingly prioritize fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, spices and botanicals. Consequently, plant ingredients and vegan claims are becoming more prominent in a variety of food categories – including ice cream,” Beckett concludes.

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Zott Vietnam Company Limited has been incorporated and the new company is headquartered in Hanoi, with a branch office in Ho Chi Minh City.

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I was over in the US last week, and enjoying New York dairy’s finest output, Chobani and Fage yogurts. I suspect that not many shoppers were spending some time gazing lovingly at all the dessert-like flavours that Chobani produces, nor inspecting the sides of the packages on all the products. But there I was, doing exactly that.

Over here in the UK, Llaeth Y Llan in Wales has opened a new yogurt manufacturing site, with the idea that it will expand into new markets and introduce new products to its customers. Yogurt is a great user of milk, as we all know, and I am sure the consumers in that part of the UK will appreciate the expansion of their dairy aisles. The lunchbox market is a key focus, and children continue to be to be top ingesters of yogurt.

Tate & Lyle is also adding 17 non-GMO starches for products such as yogurt to its ingredients line, which seems to be a top trend for most products, no matter where one is on the food chain. As Werner Barbosa, global platform leader for texturants at Tate & Lyle says, “In the past three years, non-GMO product sales in the US have grown by 270%.” That is a growth area that few manufacturers can ignore.

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The cup combines Müller yogurt with chocolate, biscuit or caramel chips of Milka, Oreo and Daim and is offered in four varieties. The cup has a white inner layer and a coloured outer surface, which is red (Daim), blue (Oreo) or purple (Milka) depending on the contents. All information regarding the contents is shown on the three sided label on the outer surfaces of the large chamber and on a bottom label. The twin chamber is made of polystyrene using a thermoforming process.

The twin chamber cup has been available since February in the combinations of Milka Chocolate Drops and Yogurt, Milka Chocolate Drops and Vanilla Yogurt, Oreo Biscuit Chips and Yogurt and Daim and Yogurt.

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First up for the US is portion sizes. They’re huge. Secondly, the leaning towards the very sweet palate. My son, raised in the UK, spent half the trip taking one bite of the treat offered to him and then stopping, saying, it’s too sweet. Third, the eating of carbohydrates over eating better things like dairy. I won’t even get into the lack of walkable spaces in the suburbs.

I did my bit for the duration. I bought dairy and fruit, and brought it back to the house. Chobani has some marvellous creations in the US. I tended towards the fruit on the bottom ones – mango, raspberry, pomegranate, apricot – the entire spectrum was there. The Flip types were more desserty: Key Lime Crumble, Almond Coco Loco, Carrot Cake creation, Chocolate Haze Craze… it was a yogurt dessert-fest. I thought, if you will have sweet things, at least let there be some good dairy in there. My relatives, including my son, fought over the haze craze one.

Another thing I approved of was the vitamin-fortified milk. There is a worry that people don’t get enough vitamin D, and both D and A are added to milk there. You can also buy Lifeway kefir in 32oz, 16oz and 8oz bottles. Lifeway is launching here in the UK and Ireland, in smaller portions. I look forward to it.

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This is the first time that Müller UK & Ireland has launched a branded mousse and it is also its first branded shareable dessert. The product has a light and soft texture, no artificial flavours and is available in 200g big pots. It’s available now in selected retailers with an RRP of £1.60 (€1.92).

Made with Belgian chocolate, Müller Püd mmMousse is available in three flavours: Belgian Chocolate, Belgian Dark Chocolate and Belgian White Chocolate. Müller research has found that the big pot market is in growth, big pot buyers are already buying mousse and consumers have been asking for confectionery flavours.

Müller UK & Ireland’s category vision identified a potential £700 million (€838m) of category growth by 2020, to be delivered by bringing innovation and new products to the market. The launch into the big pot mousse market is the latest step to help achieve this growth.

Michael Inpong, chief marketing officer at Müller, says, “We’ve invested a significant amount of time and resource in growing our shopper and consumer understanding and if we’re going to unlock sustainable category growth, it’s vital that we put shoppers and consumers at the heart of everything we do. There’s clearly a market for exciting new products like Müller Püd mmMousse, it’s a segment of the market with real potential for growth.

“We recognise that everyone has different eating habits, and by having a desserts range in a big pot, it gives consumers the choice of enjoying our products in the way that they want to – whether that be with fresh fruit, granola, or simply sharing straight out of the tub.”

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The dessert combines custard with whipped cream and pieces of waffle to create an ice cream, explains Lovro Vučković, product manager at Ledo. The EasySnacking pot, supplied its 210ml size and provided the ideal packaging format

“The EasySnacking cup is a great solution. The round edges look absolutely great and the integral spoon is fantastic. Kremsnita is a typical Croatian dessert traditionally served in square pieces, so the square shape of the EasySnacking container is a perfect match for our new product,” he says.

Ledo expected very good sales before putting the product on the market, and after a successful start, the company has achieved its sales target within the expected time span.

“We did not run any big promotion for the Ledo Kremsnita; all we did was one TV commercial where we introduced the current ice cream range. Ledo Kremsnita was just one of ten types of ice cream, yet it got a good deal of attention. On various social media, we have found many pictures and positive comments about our dessert, and our customers love the spoon too,” adds Vučković.

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With the acquisition of the Italian Fresh Foods, the know-how is to be further deepened and the position in this growing niche market is to be strengthened.

In addition, IFF provides access to the Dutch, Canadian and US markets, where Emmi has hardly been present with desserts.

“Italian Fresh Foods is an agile, innovative manufacturer of high-quality Italian desserts. The product portfolio fits perfectly with Emmi and strengthens a strategically important segment of our company,” says Urs Riedener, CEO of Emmi.

The most famous brand of IFF is Dolce Italia, which began in 1992 with Tiramisù. Today the IFF product assortment, besides Tiramisù, includes other well-known Italian dessert classics.

IFF achieves sales of almost € 0 million, 85% of which is outside Italy. The company has grown steadily over the last five years. The most important markets are the Netherlands and UK.

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Eleftheriou notes the advantages are simple: there is 10-20 per cent less material used than other bottles, and the machine is shipped to the customer, where the customers produce their own bottles. “It is an advantage and a price savings. The added value stays with the customer, and the logistics are easier.” Reels of plastic are also easier to store than finished bottles, and the company estimates that a ratio of 1:25 in storage space is saved. Electricity consumption has also lowered, with low bottle weight and on-machine decontamination.

The machine can produce bottles from 100 to 500ml size, and has a compact footprint of 4×6 metres, with the ability to produce up to 28,800 bottles per hour.

“The market is moving towards polypropylene,” according to Eleftheriou. “There are also different types of closures such as a heat seal lid or screw type closure, which can be produced on the machine, and different sized bottles can be made on the same machine.”

Parent company

Over the years, Serac has had many competitors in food and beverages, and so decided to specialise in niche markets such as dairy. In 2009, Agami invented its process – very quickly, Serac was interested in the packaging side and entered into a commercial partnership. In 2014, Serac bought Agami outright.

Agami products fit into the overall Serac portfolio by offering innovative packaging with aseptic qualities, according to Vincent Altazin, the product and business development manager at Serac. “For dairy and UHT beverages, aseptic is rather important. We have our expertise and are recognised as a technology specialist in this area.”

New technologies are now being developed for aseptic, in order to sterilise bottles in both wet (with paracetic acid) and dry (H₂O₂). Light pulse technology is also being explored for sterilising bottles, he notes.

Altazin says the moulds on the machine can be changed over within 30 minutes. Customers can print on the plastic or have shrink sleeves, and all of this may be combined with a variety of bottle shapes.

“We help the customer design a bottle, and once the design has been chosen, we transfer the intellectual property rights to the customer – we don’t retain them,” says Eleftheriou. “Part of the business model is that we supply the machine and the former belongs to the customer, and it can then source plastic from different suppliers.”

The blow moulder can produce 9,000 bottles per hour and 10 machines have been produced at Trappe this year. “We are forecasting building 15 machines, and they run from €500,000 to €2 million each depending on options,” says Altazin. “Over the next five years we hope to sell 20-30 machines. We have manufacturing in Asia and the US, so that the customer has technical support locally.”

It takes around six months to build a machine, and Agami has a 3D printer that can show customers what the design will look like via computer assisted design. The model can be tested in-house for resistance, and so forth, and then it can be fine-tuned in the company’s pilot plant.

Package types

Bottle: The plastic bottle is still strongly developing worldwide for various products, with constantly widening ranges such as coffee whiteners, drinking yogurts, chilled or aseptic milks, as well as for value-added niches such as aseptic nutritional drinks. For example, in the drinking yogurt market, the bottle is by far the leading packaging and promises significant growth in the years to come. Market trends also favour the development of small to medium-sized bottles ranging from a few dozens of millilitres to one litre which, through the use of new materials and manufacturing technologies can now display colours and original shapes.

Serac offers Combox PET stretch blow molding technology integrated in single block blow-fill-cap units for orders in the dairy market. A real alternative to HDPE, both technologies offer simplicity in plastic processing while being precise. They are favoured for portion packs dedicated to children as they allow the production of bottles that have the shape of a fruit, a spring or a cartoon character.

Serac’s H2F filling units have been designed to be flexible and can fill HDPE, PET, PS or PP bottles, thus enabling manufacturers to diversify. Flexibility comes from the bottle neck transfer system, which requires only a few tooling parts to be changed to switch from one bottle model to another.

Based on the weight filling technology, H2F units are known for accuracy, which is critical on small-sized packages. They have recently been upgraded to provide higher performances on bottles ranging from 60ml up to two litres. Serac offers bottle neck transfer associated with weight filling in its H2F filler.

Cups: The yogurt and dessert market is developing through organic products, limited editions and increasingly sophisticated recipes (several layers of yogurt and fruit, fruit, nuts or cereal chunks included in the product or dosed in a separate compartment to be mixed just before eating), which make dosing operations more complicated. The market quest for authenticity has also led to the return of traditional packaging such as glass jars or cartons with quaint shapes that cannot be stacked up. Such packaging requires specific technical adaptations on filling units.

Serac’s Nova dosing systems can be integrated to existing lines. They include up to 24 filling heads and provide control for all kinds of products with a range of nozzle solutions. They are adapted to most filling methods, from layered and spiral filling of different ingredients, to complex dessert combinations.

An owner of several Nova lines has recently upgraded its dosing units to cope with an increasing number of recipes. The Greek yogurt specialist can now produce up to four fruit mixes simultaneously in the same cup and several recipes that are gathered in multi-flavour packs.

For spreadable cheeses that require a hot filling process, Serac has developed a specific tank equipped with a motorised agitator, a double or triple jacket with water circulation that maintains the product at the right temperature (around 75 – 80°C) and a full temperature monitoring system.

Many niches

Whatever the product considered, markets are characterised by an explosive growth of the number of recipes which, in addition to specific adjustments on the machines, call for flexibility. The second global trend on the market is upgraded levels of hygiene in order to increase food safety. Serac can offer upgrades to packaging decontamination as well as aseptic filling units.

Whether for flavours and packaging consumer testing, or for real conditions market testing, an increasing number of manufacturers are looking for dedicated multi-purpose equipment.

In order to meet this expectation, Serac has developed aseptic pilot bottling lines tailored to the production at low rate of a wide variety of recipes in different packaging (plastic materials and sizes). These pilot lines are derived from Serac’s aseptic filling lines and thus offer the same features for packaging sterilisation, process hygiene and cleaning procedures.

The filling lines enable fast production changes from one packaging or recipe to another through neck transfer systems and quick change of recipes from the control panel.

To further increase flexibility on its aseptic machinery, Serac has also worked out easily cleanable equipment that allows recipes to follow each other without having to go through a four-hour long cleaning and sterilization process. With a single injection of sterile water, pipes can be ready for the next batch. In the best case one recipe can even be used to drain the other.

With the integration of on-site bottle manufacturing solutions in single block blow-fill-cap unit (Combox machines) and new solutions for thermoforming bottles out of pre-printed plastic sheets, Serac also contributes to reducing the footprint of the complete packaging lines by avoiding the need for storage tanks, unscramblers, sleeves or labels applicators. For products packed in cups, Serac is working with the same objective on end-of-line integration of case packers for its linear filling machines.

Modular

In order to meet all levels of safety requirements, Serac offers a solution for H₂O₂ controlled decontamination of bottles, cups and caps that provides a better uniformity of treatment and an increased control on decontamination parameters.

Active components concentration and decontamination parameters are continuously monitored and the control system stops the machine as soon as a parameter is out of the tolerance limits. This solution is also interesting from an environmental point of view, since it requires low volumes of H₂O₂ and no water.

Serac has also developed first-class aseptic filling lines that include dry sterilisation at all stages plus sanitisation of the filling unit itself, a 100 per cent sterile zone plus a controlled area below the neck of the bottle for pharmaceutical level of hygiene within the aseptic enclosure, and enhanced security through the doubling of all gas filtration systems plus constant monitoring of a wide range of sterilization parameters.

In order to assist customers looking for qualification of their line by health authorities, Serac can document its aseptic lines with risk and functional analyses, as well as all necessary certificates.

The Agami thermoforming machines allow customers to produce bottles out of PS or PP reels, and Serac has recently gone a step further by adapting its simple, efficient and reliable solution to the thermoforming of bottles out of pre-printed PP reels.

For this particular application, Serac has equipped its Agami machines with sensors and sets of cameras that ensure fast initial machine setting with minimum waste, and systematically check that the PP sheet is at the right place for the next stroke during production.

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Friendly’s Ice Cream, with $166 million in net sales in 2015, is a brand that produces popular packaged ice cream and other frozen dessert products, including single-serve sundae cups, novelty items, cakes and rolls. Friendly’s distributes these products in over 8,000 retail outlets.

“We are thrilled at the prospects the Friendly’s Ice Cream acquisition brings to Dean Foods,” says Gregg Tanner, CEO. “Coupled with the momentum of Dean Foods’ current regional brands, the Friendly’s brand will be a catalyst in our strategy to grow our existing ice cream business and branded portfolio. Friendly’s is an ideal complement to our other heritage brands across the country and fills a manufacturing and retail ice cream void in our nationwide footprint.”

Tanner continues, “We think the Friendly’s culture will be an excellent fit for Dean Foods, and we are delighted to welcome the Friendly’s employees into our company. Working together with the senior leadership team of Friendly’s Ice Cream, we look forward to continuing to grow the manufacturing and retail ice cream business.”

The acquisition of Friendly’s Ice Cream is expected to be immediately accretive to margins and earnings, and Dean Foods expects that the acquisition will add approximately $0.06 earnings per share accretion in 2016.

Tanner concludes, ” Very similar to the traditions shared by consumers who grew up enjoying our existing regional milk and ice cream brands, such as Mayfield or Dean’s, we believe the Friendly’s ice cream brand represents and promotes what Dean Foods has built itself around and is a great fit in our branded portfolio.”

In addition to acquiring Friendly’s manufacturing and retail ice cream business, Dean Foods will acquire the Friendly’s trademark as well as all intellectual property associated with the ice cream business. Friendly’s Restaurants, a family-dining restaurant chain with over 260 locations in the US, will continue to be owned and operated by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners and will license use of the Friendly’s trademark under a license agreement entered into as part of the transaction.

The transaction is expected to close late in the second quarter of 2016, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Following the close of the transaction, Friendly’s Ice Cream will continue to operate out of its facility in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and the senior management team of Friendly’s Ice Cream will continue to lead the business.

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