The acquisition – which includes French Bakery Company’s production equipment and employees – strengthens Lantmännen Unibake’s position in Norway.
According to the Danish company, it provides opportunities for expansion with new products for foodservice and retail. It also enables insourcing to Lantmännen Unibake’s local bakeries and supports the international bakery group’s focus on core markets and sustainable production.
“French Bakery Company is a modern bakery with high bake-off expertise and quality standards, said Werner Devinck, CEO of Lantmännen Unibake.
“Geographically, the bakery is well positioned for our current Norwegian operations and fits into our strategy and ambition.
“Building on our focus on sustainability from field to fork, locally produced bakery products and short time-to-market, we believe there is a very good potential to grow the business further and continue to deliver great results.”
Reduce CO2 footprint
The French Bakery Company was established in 1985 to produce bread products for the HORECA sector. The bakery combines modern technology with traditional baking methods and produces frozen bake-off bread, raw dough products (hvetebakst) and consumer packed products primarily for retail.
Thomas Bjarkholm, MD of Lantmännen Unibake Norway, said the acquisition will expand its current offering with sustainable products and bakery solutions.
“It enables our business to strengthen our sustainability efforts through locally sourced raw materials and locally produced products, while also supporting our target to reduce the CO2 footprint through shorter transportation distances,” he said.
Lantmännen Unibake operates more than 30 bakeries around the world, supplying product to over 60 countries. The brand portfolio comprises a range of well-established brands, including Hatting, Vaasan, Schulstad, Schulstad Bakery Solutions, Schulstad Royal Danish Pastry and Bonjour.
Lantmännen Unibake has a turnover of €1.2bn and employs 6,000 people in more than 20 countries. The company is part of the Lantmännen Group, a cooperative owned by 20,000 Swedish farmers that is Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.