The merged business MAURI anz will operate as a subsidiary of George Weston Foods and an affiliate of AB Mauri. It will take control of operations at 11 manufacturing and production sites across Australia and New Zealand and have its headquarters in New South Wales.
Andrew Reeves, CEO of George Weston Foods, said the merger would benefit from the combined scale and expertise of both businesses.
“This is an exciting stage in our growth. Building an integrated bakery ingredients business in Australia has been a long-term objective as a means to offer something very unique and compelling in the category, for the baker – big and small,” he said.
R&D, production and distribution
MAURI anz will operate as a full service bakery ingredients company with capabilities in R&D, innovation, technology, production, and distribution. Products include flours, regular and gluten-free baking mixes, grains, yeast and bread improvers under the Weston Milling, Mauri and Cereform brands.
George Weston Foods said the merged entity would benefit from AB Mauri’s global scale in terms of innovation abilities and access to new technologies.
David Wallace – former CFO at George Weston Foods – will be appointed as managing director.
Wallace said the merger was a simple, collaborative and efficient ingredients business that catered to bakers of all sizes.
Associated British Foods umbrella
George Weston Foods’ Weston Milling and AB Mauri are both parts of Associated British Foods. George Weston is a wholly owned subsidiary and AB Mauri a division.