Upfield Group B.V., Amsterdam, announced that one of its group companies, Upfield Europe B.V., announced plans to acquire Arivia S.A., a Greece-based producer of plant-based cheese sold under the VIOLIFE brand. This strategic acquisition will enable Upfield to enter a new segment, presenting an additional growth opportunity for the company. VIOLIFE will become part of the Upfield brand family, which includes FLORA, RAMA, COUNTRY CROCK, BLUE BAND and PROACTIV.
The combination of Arivia's brand and product proposition and Upfield's brand marketing expertise, infrastructure and worldwide distribution network, including in the foodservice channel, will create a unique opportunity to accelerate growth of the plant-based cheese segment globally.
"This acquisition is aligned with our growth strategy and mission to be the global authority in plant-based foods. Consumers are increasingly demanding quality, natural and tasty alternatives to dairy products, and welcoming Arivia products into the Upfield family will enable us to go further in meeting those demands, whilst growing our plant-based offering," says David Haines, chief executive officer of Upfield Group B.V.
"The team at Arivia has worked for the past two decades to innovate and create great products that excel in taste, naturalness, and performance. They have done a tremendous job in building their brand in two of the leading markets for plant-based foods and we look forward to working with them to continue those successes around the world."
"Our entire team is extremely pleased to become part of the Upfield family and pursue our common goals for more sustainable, higher quality and delicious alternatives to dairy products. Being firmly committed to growing consumer satisfaction, we are fully convinced that Upfield's global footprint, combined with Arivia's unique product offerings, will act as a catalyst toward increased availability of premium, plant-based products across all retail and foodservice outlets," adds Anthimos Misailidis, chief executive officer of Arivia S.A.
