The German firm Buse Gastek GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Bad Hönningen, is merging its business divisions for CO2 production and recovery plant construction and dry ice technology with the Swiss company Asco Carbon Dioxide Ltd, headquartered in Romanshorn. Employees of Buse Gastek working in these divisions will be transferred to Asco, a subsidiary of the German specialist in industrial gases Messer Group. Based on sales figures for 2013, the merger will result in a competitive company with an estimated annual turnover of EUR 32 million.

The Coca-Cola Company and Monster Beverage Corporation announced that they have entered into definitive agreements for a long-term strategic partnership that is expected to accelerate growth for both companies in the fast-growing, global energy drink category.

Krones improved all key financial performance indicators over the previous year in the first half of 2014. Revenue rose 4.2 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2014, from EUR 1377.5 million to EUR 1435.5 million. The emerging markets contributed an important part of this growth.

Deliriously delicious

It takes quite a bit of courage to name a beer after the illness that drives alcoholics mad while they’re drying out. But 25 years ago, the Belgian Huyghe Brewery did precisely that – and ever since has been reaping tremendous success with “Delirium Tremens”. In fact, demand for the higher-strength specialty beer is so high, particularly from abroad, that the privately owned brewery had to upgrade its technology. First of all, it modernised parts of the bottling line with machines from Krones. Next, it installed a new Steinecker brewhouse, rated at a production capacity of 350 000 hectolitres.

On 7 July 2014 US food ingredients producer Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced that it is acquiring Wild Flavors GmbH, manufacturer of flavors, colors, and beverage ingredients from Zug, Switzerland.

Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has launched Readybag^® pouches with dehydrated culture media for pathogen testing in food. The pre-weighed, gamma-irradiated pouches, which can be used for either Salmonella or Listeria, eliminate all media preparation steps and reduce typical sample preparation time by more than 50 percent.

Pentair Südmo, a leading manufacturer of advanced valve technology and process solutions for the brewing, beverage, food, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Founded in Riesbürg, Germany as a supplier to the local dairy industry, Pentair Südmo today is a technology leader with a global presence.

Wherever you enjoy a good beer, it is very likely that this beer comes from a plant from GEA Brewery Systems. With its 140 years of extensive experience, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of state-of-the-art brewery equipment.

The Brewers of Europe is delighted that Beer has been selected as a pilot for the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) project. The initiative, aimed at analysing the opportunity for the development of a systematic methodology for calculating the environmental footprint of food products, will help brewers to continue their pioneering work in the field of product sustainability.

Smart Skin Technologies Inc. (SST) based in Fredericton, Canada, has expanded its international business activities. The company is one of the global leaders in pressure management solutions for the bottling and packaging industries. By opening a European subsidiary in the vicinity of Freising-Weihenstephan on April 1st 2014, it expands its product marketing, which so far has shown considerable success in breweries and beverage production sites in Canada, the USA and Central America.

Following the adoption of a Resolution on the EU Alcohol Strategy by the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in March 2014, The Brewers of Europe reiterate the Brewers’ commitment to action against alcohol-related harm.