Albex Group confirms key deal for Rainbow Dust confectionery business
UK-based Albex Group has confirmed a key acquisition of creative confectionery and sweet bakery business, Rainbow Dust, from AIM listed Real Good Food PLC, for a sum of £800,000, reports Neill Barston.
The company’s portfolio, which includes key sector business HB Ingredients, has built a strong level of expertise across the sector, and its latest expansion comes as it seeks to expand its colourings and decorations capabilities.
As it explained, its latest acquisition had been founded in 2008 and operates from a BRC AA+ accredited site in Preston, England. Rainbow Dust’s products allow consumer and professional users to make creative sweet bakes and confectionery. Its range includes food colourings and paints, lustre dusts & glitters and decorations. Furthermore, the business also presently produce a variety of sugar craft essentials such as texturisers, icing whiteners and edible glue.
The purchase further strengthens Albex’s position as a key ingredient supplier to bakers, confectioners, food service operators and retailers. Rainbow Dust will sit alongside five other specialist brands in the Albex Group already serving these sectors: BFP, Henley Bridge Ingredients, Kent Foodservice, Tom Walker & Sons and Yes Chef!
Andrew Dalglish, a Director of Albex commented on the move. He said: “Rainbow Dust has an excellent range of high-quality food art products well-known and loved by cake makers and confectioners from hobbyists to semi-professionals to larger manufacturers. We’re delighted to have such a highly respected brand in our family. Like other companies in the Albex Group, Rainbow Dust will operate as an independent business with a sharp focus on the market they’re expert in, food colourings and decorations. However, we look forward to supporting them in realising their exciting plans by providing the financial backing and significant infrastructure of the Albex Group.”
In terms of its structure, the Albex Group has built-up a series of specialist businesses including Jones Kent, Kent Foods and Kent Foods BV, which collectively use their market knowledge, buying power and Albex’s significant infrastructure to provide a reliable, consistent and competitively priced source of ‘commodity’ ingredients for customers. Artisan’s Choice, BFP, Henley Bridge Ingredients, Kent Foodservice, Rainbow Dust, Tom Walker & Sons and Yes Chef! focus on specific user types providing a product portfolio and service tailored to meet their specialist needs. Albex Logistics provides storage and transportation services tailored to the unique needs of the food industry.
The group operates a fleet of over 60 vehicles from 400,000 square feet of ambient and chilled storage across 9 BRC accredited sites in the UK and Europe, serving more than 5,000 trade customers every year and in 2022 generated sales of £304m.