The Villeneuve d’Ascq, France-headquartered Bonduelle Group has completed the purchase of a Seneca Foods frozen vegetable and fruit processing facility in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, USA. This acquisition, effective February 11, encompasses industrial assets including a large cold storage facility, and stocks of frozen products. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The 138,000-square-foot plant was built in 2008 and acquired by Marion, New York-headquartered Seneca in 2010. Employing 140 workers, it has capacity for annual output of 45,000 tons on seven packaging lines.
The Bonduelle Americas Long Life business unit (BALL), which until recently was limited in development capacity, “is thus completing its frozen industrial facility in North America,” according to a statement from the company. It now has four industrial facilities in the Eastern United States and six in Canada.
“In addition to the additional packaging capacity generating revenue, this acquisition will allow both industrial and logistical synergies with existing facilities and will offer enhanced quality of service for the benefit of BALL business unit customers,” the statement added.
Bonduelle, a family business primarily specializing in canned and frozen vegetables, was established in 1853. Currently sourcing raw materials harvested from more than 3,100 farmers cultivating over 128,000 hectares around the world, its 500-plus finished product line offerings are sold in approximately 100 countries under a number of brand names through various distribution channels.
Operating 54 industrial and agricultural production sites in Europe and the Americas, the company employs 11,000 people worldwide. Sales last year amounted to €2,777million.
