Food and beverage company Paulig has announced that it will build a new salty snacks production plant in Spain as part of its plan to strengthen its position in the European market in the Tex Mex and snacking categories. With a planned investment of 42 million euros, construction of the factory will start in 2025, with the aim of having its production lines up and running by 2026.

The Finnish family-owned company operates in 13 countries and has production facilities in six of them: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium. The factories for its snack division are located in the latter two countries. Last September, after an investment of two million euros, the company started up a production line for gluten-free snacks that has significantly increased the capacity of its main factory in Spain, the one in Berga (Barcelona).

Employment growth
Paulig started strengthening its snacks division in 2022 with the Liven acquisition in Spain. Now, with the new investment, it also plans to significantly increase its workforce in Spain, which currently consists of 340 people, out of a total of 2,300 who work for the company across all its sites.

Paulig CEO Rolf Ladau explained, “This investment marks an important step in the execution of our international growth strategy. The acquisition of the Liven snacks business in Spain in 2022 will further strengthen our position in the Tex Mex and snacks categories in Europe. It will also increase innovation capabilities in these categories.”

Sustainable raw materials
On the topic of the division that Spain leads alongside Belgium, Ladau continued, “Snacks are currently one of the fastest growing categories within the food industry. We are firmly committed to collaborating with our business partners to accelerate profitable growth in this category in the long term. Our snacks are made using sustainable raw materials that allow for the inclusion of vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses and vegetable oils.”

Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Sourcing Thomas Panteli added, “We are planning to open our new factory in 2026. We want to be a reliable partner for our customers and, with the new facilities, we are dedicated to maintaining a constant supply of innovative snacks to meet the growing demand in the future. We want to offer our customers high-quality products that are produced in a sustainable and efficient way. In addition, we currently employ approximately 340 people in Spain and anticipate hiring many more in the coming years.”

^{Photo: Paulig}