It is an "ambitious" investment plan just launched by Inalca Food & Beverage (Cremonini Group) that intends to strengthen its presence in China, Hong Kong, as well as completing a complex round of acquisitions in Australia. This is reported by the same company of Castelnuovo Rangone (Modena) controlled by Inalca, specialized in the international distribution of food products made in Italy. The company has signed an agreement with the Cascino family for the creation of a new Holding on Hong Kong, called Casina Ltd.

Inalca F&B holds a 70% stake, and the Cascino family a 30% stake. The new company, in addition to taking over all Chinese assets managed by Cascino, has absorbed IF&B assets in China, with distribution platforms in Shanghai, Beijing, Zhongshan Dongguan and Chengdu.

The new corporate reality will therefore allow to extend the business to other provinces of China with high growth potential: we talk about the provinces of Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Ningbo, Wenzhou and other cities in the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

"With this transaction, IF&B has the opportunity to further accelerate development in the Chinese market, one of the most interesting and dynamic in the world, where the demand for excellent products of Italian cuisine is constantly growing -underlines Augusto Cremonini, ceo of IF&B-. The know-how and distribution capacity of Cascino will allow us to better develop the potential for growth, as well as enhancing recent investments in the high-end food segment".

For Inalca Food & Beverage, this acquisition is the latest in a series of operations aimed at consolidating the company, one of the leaders in the international markets for the sale and distribution of Italian catering products worldwide: the acquisition last august of the House of Fine Foods of Hong Kong and House of Fine Foods Macao, founded by Cristian Giancaterino and internationally recognized as a reference point for the supply of products of excellence for high and high catering, the Modena company has moved to the consolidation of its presence in Australia, with the round of acquisitions started in march 2023 and concluded in october 2023, through the subsidiary Fresco Gourmet Pty, of three historic brands in the foodservice business in Sydney: Di Leo Foods, Super Supreme and Napoli Food & Wines.

"These are acquisitions -adds Cremonini- that allow us to consolidate tactically the presence in the Hong Kong and Australian markets, with an additional focus on Macau. A reality that, after years of difficulty due to covid, is recovering exponentially, and in which IF&B will be able to mark the difference in terms of quality and service. The acquisitions of the House of Fine Foods companies are the ideal strategic completion of our offer capabilities, bringing IF&B to performance levels unthinkable until yesterday".