The Reus-based company MaserGrup buys the largest business of Skjodt-Barrett to double its presence in the North American market

BarcelonaThe Reus-based company MaserGrup has acquired the largest business of the American company Skjodt-Barrett, focused on manufacturing food for third parties in the so-called pouch format, a type of more flexible plastic packaging to contain liquid or gelatinous texture products. As detailed by the group in a statement, the operation includes the incorporation of an industrial complex of 130,000 square meters that houses a production plant of 50,000 square meters in the city of Lebanon, in the state of Indiana.

The Catalan holding company has closed the transaction through Fruselva, the group's brand specialized in the production of juices, nectars, and nutritional drinks, especially for babies. Acting under the umbrella of Fruselva, Skjodt-Barrett will be renamed SBFoods, although it will maintain its current operations and staff of more than 350 employees spread across the United States and Canada. In fact, MaserGrup plans to incorporate nearly a hundred new collaborators to accompany the growth that the company expects in the North American market.

As indicated by the Baix Camp group, the acquisition seeks to double MaserGrup's presence in the United States and Canada and expand its capacity to serve other brands and retail businesses. On the other hand, the Catalan company estimates reaching a turnover of more than 400 million euros by the year 2027, a figure that would mean increasing revenues by 80% compared to 2025, the last fiscal year with available data.

Investment plan

For the president of MaserGrup, Xavier Martínez, the acquisition of the pouch products division of Skjodt-Barrett represents "a milestone" in the group's business project. Although the amount of the operation has not been disclosed, the Reus-based firm launched an investment plan of 100 million euros last summer to gain scale, both by setting up new plants and by purchasing other companies. Beyond the United States and Canada, the holding company also has production centers in Chile, Colombia, and Spain.

Regarding Skjodt-Barrett, the company—owned by the Swedish business group Axel Johnson Group—closed the last financial year with sales of more than 150 million dollars (nearly 135 million euros) and an annual production of more than 300 million units of pouch products.