Baking & Snack - March 2023 - 10

Bimbo acquires
Romanian bakery
A spokesperson for Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV recently confirmed
the company is acquiring Vel Pitar, a Romanian bakery, from
NCH Capital. Bimbo will wait until its next quarterly financial
report to give details on the transaction.
Vel Pitar, Vâlcea, Romania, owns 10 production units in nine
cities in Romania and has more than 2,500 employees. The company
delivers bread, cakes, sweet baked foods and salty snacks
daily to more than 7,000 stores. Vel Pitar was formed in 2001
through the merger of four factories in the milling and baking industry:
Mopariv Vâlcea, Berceni Bucharest, Granpan Tecuci and
Panegrano Cluj.
NCH Capital has a policy to not comment on its investments.
Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo has expanded in Europe in
recent years. The company in 2017 acquired East Balt Bakeries
Co., which allowed Grupo Bimbo to start doing business in seven
new countries: Italy, France, Switzerland, Ukraine, Turkey,
South Africa and South Korea. Grupo Bimbo in October 2022
announced it had acquired United Kingdom-based St Pierre
Groupe, a baker of premium brioche-style products with a growing
presence in the United States.
- Jeff Gelski, Food Business News
Campbell's to consolidate
Snacks division
Campbell Soup Co. is planning to invest $50 million into its headquarters
in Camden, NJ, while consolidating its Snacks division
offices located in Charlotte, NC, and Norwalk, Conn.
The investment, made over the next three years, will be used
to accommodate the more than 1,600 employees located on the
Camden campus following the closings. No commercial roles will
be eliminated as part of the consolidation, and Campbell Soup
expects to realize $10 million in annual cost savings from the decision
by 2026.
" We are thrilled to invest in our people, our facilities and our
Camden community, which Campbell has called home for more
than 150 years, " said Mark Clouse, president and chief executive
officer of Campbell Soup. " We remain committed to our twodivision
operating model and are confident that being together in
one headquarters is the best way for us to continue building a culture
that unlocks our full growth potential. This investment will
ensure Campbell remains a great place to work and a compelling
destination for top talent. "
The first major investment in the Camden campus since a $132
Roy 'Junior' Brixey, bakery
engineer veteran, dies
Longtime bakery engineer Roy
" Junior " Brixey has
died. He
was 80.
Mr. Brixey started his career in
Courtesy Brixey family
the baking industry in 1964 when
he joined Taystee Bread Bakery as
an operating engineer. He stayed
with the company until 1973.
That year, he became an employee
of Holsum Bakery (later known
as Butternut Bread, owned by
Interstate Brands Corp.). In 1984,
he was promoted to plant engineer,
and by 1993, he was a corporate project engineer. Mr. Brixey built
and installed large commercial bakery ovens, proofers and coolers
all over the United States until his retirement in 2005. He later returned
to work part-time for IBC and managed the Rebuild Shop at
the Kansas City Bakery Troost Plant.
He leaves behind his wife, Joyce (Ray) Brixey, of 59 years, and
two sons, Rowdy and Chad Brixey, two daughters-in-law and
five grandchildren.
10 Baking & Snack March 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
Campbell Soup Co.
million injection in 2010, the development will include upgrades
to existing spaces and the addition of new facilities, including a
new campus center and a Snacks R&D center with an accompanying
pilot plant. Enhanced, adaptable workspaces, communal
spaces and meeting and multi-purpose rooms also will be a focal
point, alongside amenities such as on-site day care, a health and
fitness center, and a cafe.
Campbell Soup said the office closings will not impact the company's
other operations in North Carolina and Connecticut, including
a key manufacturing and distribution center in Pineville,
NC, a manufacturing site in Maxton, NC, and a Pepperidge Farm
bakery in Bloomfield, Conn.
" We have a long history in Connecticut and North Carolina
and will continue to have key operations in both states, " Mr.
Clouse said. " The decision to close these offices was difficult, but
it is the right thing to do for our business and culture. Unifying
the company in one headquarters increases connectivity, collaboration
and provides enhanced career opportunities for our team. "
- Caleb Wilson, Food Business News
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - March 2023

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