The red berry sector How will the «Made in Morocco» be consolidated?
A new major player in the red berry sector is entering the global market. Agroberries, a Chilean company specializing in the production, marketing, and distribution of red berries, which has had farms in Morocco for two years, recently announced the acquisition of BerryWorld Group Holdings, a major berry operator in Europe. The transaction creates one of the world’s largest berry companies. The global private equity investor Continental Grain Company, which specializes in the agri-food sector, also took part in the transaction, through an increase in Agroberries’ share capital.
This transaction is sure to give a new impetus to the berry industry, which is growing exponentially worldwide due to strong demand. To achieve its objectives, the new entity is counting on Agroberries’ plantations in Chile, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Morocco.
Objective: 1,000 hectares in the Kingdom
The Chilean company has established a foothold in Morocco in 2022, investing 40 million euros. The aim is to support its European platform. These funds were invested in the planting of 300 hectares of blueberries, with the ambition of expanding its network of growers over the next few years to a surface area of 1,000 hectares for the production of various categories of berries.
As a reminder, Agroberries already has a stake in BerryWorld Group, through the acquisition of a minority shareholding in 2023. The new transaction will enable the Chilean company to strengthen its international expansion.
Will this operation have an impact on Morocco? «It will certainly further consolidate Made in Morocco,» says Amine Bennani, President of the Moroccan Association of Red Berry Producers, in a statement to L’Economiste. He adds, saying that «Agroberries has been present in Morocco for two years. The company has its own plantations. BerryWorld Group, on the other hand, has a network of local growers who supply it with their red berry production».
Founded in 1996, Agroberries has become a major player in the production and distribution of red fruit worldwide. Based in Chile, the company has two marketing platforms for its products. The first, Berry Fresh, located in the United States, supplies the American and Canadian markets. The second platform, Agroberries Europe, based in the Netherlands, supplies the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Khadija SKALLI
