Deals this week: Univar BV, De Costi Seafoods, Nestle

Univar BV has signed a distribution agreement with Kerry Ingredients and Flavours for the distribution of its products in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.

Univar BV is a subsidiary of global chemical and ingredient distributor Univar, while Kerry provides taste and nutrition technologies, systems and functional ingredients.

Kerry has been offering technology-based ingredients and solutions for the food, beverage and pharma sectors since its establishment as dairy and ingredients plant in 1972 in Listowel, Ireland.

Kerry has 130 innovation and manufacturing centres on six continents.

De Costi Seafoods (De Costi Seafoods) has signed a sale agreement with Fortune Group prawn aquaculture business (Fortune Group) to purchase its land, assets, and inventory for A$30.3m ($22.05m).

De Costi Seafoods is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tassal Group, while Fortune Group is one of the biggest prawn farm operators in Australia.

The group has three prawn farms situated at Yamba, New South Wales; Proserpine, Queensland; and Mission Beach, Queensland.

Scheduled for completion in September 2018, the transaction will be funded through an A$75m ($54.6m) debt facility.

Starbucks has closed a $7.15bn global licence deal with Nestlé to market its Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Teavana, Starbucks VIA Instant, Torrefazione Italia coffee, as well as Starbucks-branded K-Cup pods.

Starbucks is a US-based coffeehouse chain, while Nestlé is a Swiss food and beverage firm.

Both firms will work together to manufacture the Starbucks range of roast and ground coffee, whole beans, and instant and portioned coffee.

The deal will allow Nestlé to market Starbucks consumer packaged goods and foodservice products worldwide. It excludes Starbucks ready-to-drink products and sales of Starbucks coffee shops.

The transaction will enable Nestlé to fortify its coffee portfolio in North America and allow Starbucks to expand its brand in the grocery and foodservice sector.