Heinz to Buy French Sauce Maker Benedicta
Ketchup and salad dressing maker H.J. Heinz Co. plans to buy Paris-based sauce maker Benedicta to grow its sauce business in France. Benedicta is one of a few century-old brands founded in France. With its long tradition of product innovation, Benedicta was the first to introduce table top mayonnaise in France in 1957 and a few years later other varieties of table top sauces. Heinz says Benedicta has about $90 million in sales.
"The potential acquisition of Benedicta fits perfectly into Heinz's global strategy to focus its portfolio on three attractive core categories, Ketchup & Sauces, Infant/Nutrition and Meals & Snacks (including baked beans, soups and pasta meals). This will contribute to our strategy to grow our sauces business in France," says Roel van Neerbos, president, Heinz Continental Europe.
"The potential acquisition of Benedicta fits perfectly into Heinz's global strategy to focus its portfolio on three attractive core categories, Ketchup & Sauces, Infant/Nutrition and Meals & Snacks (including baked beans, soups and pasta meals). This will contribute to our strategy to grow our sauces business in France," says Roel van Neerbos, president, Heinz Continental Europe.