Refresco Group will expand into Australia as it enters into an agreement to acquire Tru Blu Beverages, one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of non-alcoholic beverages.
The acquisition of Tru Blu Beverages expands Refresco’s addressable market and provides opportunities to leverage Refresco’s size and scale, as well as its track record of successfully integrating companies.
Tru Blu Beverages is a privately-owned beverage manufacturer focused on providing non-alcoholic beverages to Australia’s largest retailers and brand owners. Tru Blu Beverages employs over 400 staff and has three manufacturing facilities, located in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, supported by a distribution network with warehouses in all major Australian capital cities.
Tru Blu Beverages fits into Refresco’s business model, with its wide range of beverage solutions for retailer brands and global, national and emerging brands.
In addition, Refresco’s strategic ESG agenda will enable Tru Blu Beverages to accelerate its efforts of minimising the environmental impact of manufacturing processes, packaging and transport.
Refresco CEO Hans Roelofs said the acquisition is a testament to their proven ‘Buy & Build’ strategy.
“We started with one factory in Europe just over two decades ago and steadily built a diversified, pan-European platform. Only six years ago, we took our first step into North America.
“We now operate over 70 manufacturing sites globally, with just about half of those located across North America and the rest throughout Europe, offering a full range of beverage solutions to a broad customer base.”
“The acquisition of Tru Blu Beverages in Australia creates a new platform for Refresco, in line with our strategic promise to expand into a third continent,” Roelofs explained.
“The three strategically located manufacturing sites are the starting point for our future footprint in the region. Acquiring Tru Blu Beverages further strengthens our position as beverage solutions provider to branded customers and leading retailers globally, and provides new opportunities for further growth.”
Peter Brooks, CEO of Tru Blu Beverages said, “By joining Refresco, our customers, suppliers and employees will be able to benefit from the Company’s broad capabilities, experience and expertise.
“Tru Blu Beverages’ leading capabilities and blue-chip customer base gives Refresco a solid entrance into the Australian market. We look forward to building an even stronger platform together.”
Headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Refresco is the global independent beverage solutions provider for global, national and emerging brands, and retailers with production in Europe and North America. Refresco offers an extensive range of product and packaging combinations from juices to carbonated soft drinks and mineral waters in carton, PET, Aseptic PET, cans and glass.