AGRANA Fruit Continues to Expand by Taking Over Germany’s WINK Group

Date: 12.10.2004

On 11 October 2004, Danish AGRANA Group member Vallø Saft signed the contract for the acquisition of a 100% stake in Germany’s WINK Group, based in Bingen, Germany, from Wink Verwaltungs GmbH and Mr. Anton Franz Wink, of Bingen, Germany.

Wink is a major European producer of fruit juice concentrate.  The WINK Group also renders a variety of logistical and other services in the concentrated fruit juices segment.

The WINK Group and its 200 employees recorded revenues of € 36 million during the 2002/03 financial year.

The WINK Group’s production facilities are located in Europe’s prime apple-growing areas, with one factory each in the Grójec region of Poland and the Moldova region of Romania and two factories in the Szabolcs-Szatmár region of Hungary.  In addition, the group has a plant breeding operation in Hungary that breed multi-resistant apple varieties and sells their seedlings to local apple growers.

The takeover is subject to the approval by the competition authorities.

AGRANA is thus continuing its expansion in the fruit preparations and concentrated fruit juices segment following its earlier acquisitions of Vallø Saft, Steirerobst AG and France’s Atys Group.