Greenyard has acquired Crème de la Crème, a Belgian manufacturer of dairy-free frozen desserts.

Also based in Belgium, produce supplier Greenyard said the acquisition aligns with its strategy to create a full range of ‘healthy, plant-pure’ products through its Greenyard Frozen division. The announcement follows its successful acquisition of Italian plant-based frozen snacking specialist Gigi in spring 2023.

With the transaction, Greenyard acquires over 25 years of additional in-house experience in the production of dairy-free ice cream. Greenyard believes it will serve as an ‘immediate catalyst’ in transforming the plant-based frozen snack category, with a goal to enable indulgent and healthy plant-based food experiences for consumers.

In a statement announcing the deal, Greenyard said that frozen snacking has a ‘highly interesting’ margin profile, noting that the rising frequency of lactose intolerance and gluten-free dietary lifestyles will drive growth in products that can offer a solution within this category.

Francis Kint, CEO at Greenyard, commented: “We are happy to integrate the Crème de la Crème team in the Greenyard family and strengthen our knowledge and production capacity in pure-plant ice manufacturing, right here in Belgium”.

He continued: “We are convinced there will be a growing demand for delicious, healthy, pure-plant snacking and indulgent products. The business seamlessly integrates within Greenyard’s European-wide frozen logistic chain, and our global access to the largest retailers.”

Rik Zweegers, CEO of Crème de la Crème, said: “I’m happy that the business Ann-Catherine Nulens and I created 25 years ago will grow within the Greenyard Group by benefiting from its global commercial contacts”. Zweegers noted that Crème de la Crème is observing demand for “pure-plant” frozen products, adding: “With Greenyard, we’ll be able to reshuffle the world of frozen snacking, as both retailers and consumers are looking for tasty and healthy options to create value.”

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