IBP NEWS
Kraft Heinz Mulls
‘Strategic’ Options
Kraft Heinz is weighing up ‘strategic
transactions to unlock shareholder
value’, the US food major has announced.

In a statement, the company said the
deliberations had been going on for
months. “At Kraft Heinz, our goal has
always been to make high-quality,
great-tasting food for all and to keep
consumers at the forefront of all we do,
enabling us to drive profitable long-
term growth and value creation,” Kraft
Heinz CEO, Carlos Abrams-Rivera, said,
“Consistent with this goal, over the past
several months we have been evaluating
potential strategic transactions to
unlock shareholder value. As we look
to the future, we will continue to inspire
and delight consumers with our iconic
brands, fulfilling our mission.”
Last year, Kraft Heinz generated a
net income of $2.74bn, down from the
$2.86bn booked for 2023.

Kraft Heinz said its net sales dropped
6.4% on a reported basis in the first
quarter of 2025 and declined 4.7% in
organic terms to just shy of $7bn. In the
three months to 29 March, operating
income decreased 8.1% to $1.2bn. Net
income stood at $712m versus $801m a
year earlier.

Alongside the first-quarter numbers,
Kraft Heinz also cut its 2025 outlook
across a range of metrics to factor in
the potential upward pressure on input-
cost inflation from changes in tariffs.

Mallows Bottling Diversifies with New Squash Line
South Wales-based Mallows Bottling has diversified into new territory with
the launch of a 5-litre squash product line a move already delivering an
estimated £700,000 in incremental annual revenue.

The Llantrisant business, co-founded
by father-and-son team Andy and
Rhys Mallows and supported by
the Business Wales Accelerated
Growth Programme (AGP), has
secured significant new contracts for
the line, which includes a range of
single and double-strength squash
flavours. The expansion has created
new jobs, added new capacity,
and strengthened the business’s
resilience in a competitive and
rapidly changing drinks market.

The squash line reflects
Mallows’ commitment to practical
innovation and resource efficiency
for the hospitality trade. The 5-litre
format reduces packaging waste
by enabling customers to purchase
in larger volumes, supporting
efforts to cut single-use plastics
and reduce environmental impact.

The larger format also offers
a cost-effective solution when
margins are under pressure.

New supply contracts have been
secured with major buying group
Caterforce, which has 11 members,
including Castell Howell and Forest
Fresh Foods. Mallows is also working
with Food and Drink Wales to expand
into Cash & Carry and the food
Changes in Anora Group’s Executive Management Team
Changes in Anora Group’s Executive
Management Team: The Head of
Anora’s Spirits segment to change
Anora has appointed Imre Avalo as
Senior Vice President of the Anora’s
Spirits segment. Anora Group’s CEO
Kirsi Puntila has been acting in this role
until the appointment of her successor.

Imre Avalo has been with Anora and
its predecessor Altia since 2017 in various
18 roles, most recently as Vice President,
Baltics & Expansion Markets since
2023. Before joining Anora, Imre served
as Sales Director at a wine and spirits
company in Estonia, where he gained
extensive experience collaborating with
well-known global partners. Prior to this,
he acquired comprehensive experience
from sales and project management
positions at Carlsberg A/S.

service sector, with growing demand
from hospitality buyers seeking
value-for-money options as they
respond to financial pressures.

The squash range includes Orange,
Blackcurrant, Apple & Blackcurrant,
Lime, Lemon, Apple, and Summer
Fruits. Interest is growing across
retail and hospitality, including in
the ‘shooters’ category – referring to
small, concentrated drinks typically
served in bars, where value and
margin are especially important.

Rhys Mallows, Managing Director
of Mallows Bottling, said, “We
saw a clear opportunity to offer a
cost-effective, large-format squash
range that meets customer needs
and supports the hospitality sector
during a tough trading period.

“The response has been very
positive, already generating
significant value for the business. It’s
also helped us expand the team and
open up fresh routes to market.”
The company, already the largest
contract bottler for spirits in Wales,
offers more than 200 products across
both alcoholic and non-alcoholic
ranges. It employs 35 people at its
30,000-square-foot purpose-built
bottling facility in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

“On behalf of the Management
Team and all our Anora colleagues, I
am happy to have Imre Avalo take the
lead of the Anora’s Spirits segment
and join the Executive Management
Team. Under his leadership, Anora
has expanded its Baltic operations
to Lithuania in line with our strategy.

Imre’s background in the beverage
business will strongly support our
success over the coming years,” says
Kirsi Puntila, CEO of Anora.

INTERNATIONAL BOTTLER & PACKER | JULY 2025



WORLD NEWS
INNOVATION IN
EVERY SIP
TH TRUE MILK, A MAJOR PLAYER AND INNOVATOR IN
VIETNAM’S DAIRY AND BEVERAGE SECTOR, CONTINUES TO
EXPAND ITS PRODUCT OFFERING WITH THE LAUNCH OF
TWO NEW SNACK DRINKS FOR CHILDREN: CHOCOMALT WITH
HEARTY OATS OR CHEWY NATA DE COCO – BOTH OFFERING
A FUN AND NUTRITIOUS SNACKING EXPERIENCE IN A
CONVENIENT ASEPTIC CARTON.

This marks TH true MILK’s expansion
of its dairy portfolio, made possible
with the SIG Drinksplus technology.

Riding on the success of its
previous snack drink launch, TH true
MILK LIGHT MEAL, a nutritious blend
of milk, oat flakes, and nuts, TH true
MILK continues to innovate. The new
chocomalt snack drinks not only cater
to Vietnamese consumers’ growing
appetite for healthy indulgence but
VISIT OUR WEBSITE | www.binstedgroup.com
also leverages a technology that
allows filling of beverages with real,
perceptible pieces of grains, fruit,
vegetables, nuts or jelly into aseptic
cartons using SIG’s standard aseptic
carton filling machines for beverages.

The new products combine
chocomalt, a blend of natural barley
and cacao extract, with either chewy
nata de coco or hearty rolled oats
and delivers a unique multi-sensory
drinking experience. Consumers
can enjoy the texture and taste of
wholesome ingredients ready-to-drink
in a convenient packaging solution.

“At TH true MILK, innovation means
delivering more than just flavor – we
deliver experiences,” said Mr. Phuong
Nguyen, Marketing Manager at TH true
MILK. “Thanks to the SIG Drinksplus
technology, we’re able to offer something
truly groundbreaking for Vietnam. The
new chocomalt snack drinks are indulgent,
nourishing, and it’s perfect for on the go.”
The proven SIG Drinksplus technology
empowers beverage manufacturers
to aseptically fill carton packs with
beverages containing up to 10%
particulate content using standard
SIG filling machines for beverages.

All it needs is an easy-to-install ‘SIG
Drinksplus upgrade kit’. The bits, adding
extra value to the beverages, can be up to
six millimetres in length and width. The
drinking straws for those products can be
up to eight millimetres in diameter and
make drinking the products easy and fun.

SIG Drinksplus opens the door to brand
new products and categories, helping
f&b companies to meet new consumer
trends and address new consumer
segments and consumption occasions.

The cornerstone of the technology is
SIG’s advantageous sleeve system where
each carton sleeve is individually shaped,
filled and ultrasonically sealed above the
filling level and not through the product –
providing aseptic safety of the product.

“SIG Drinksplus is more than just
a technology – it’s paving the way for
product innovation,” said Kha Vo Xuan
Minh, Country Manager Vietnam at SIG.

“By enabling our customers to add value
pieces to beverages using their already
installed standard SIG carton filling
machines for beverages we’re not only
helping them tap into emerging consumer
trends, but we’re also boosting what’s
possible in the world of aseptic packaging.”
 www.sig.biz
 +49 2462 790
19