63 acquisitions in January

January was a bumper month for food and drink industry transactions, with 63 recorded on the bevblog.net mergers and acquisitions database.

5 deals over $1 billion had a combined value of $61.5 billion:

• $30,000 million in agribusiness for Archer Daniels Midland to buy Bunge in the United States

• $18,700 million for Luxembourg’s JAB Holdings to merge Keurig Green Mountain coffee with Dr Pepper Snapple soft drinks in the United States

• $5,100 million in spirits for Bermuda’s Bacardi to purchase the remainder of Mexico’s Patron

• $4,900 million in packaging for WestRock to take on Kapstone in the United States

• $2,800 million for Italy’s Ferrero to gain Nestlé’s confectionery business.

The spread among the 63 total was broader than usual, with 11 in alcohol, 7 in dairy, 5 in confectionery, 4 in soft drinks, 4 in services and 3 each in equipment, general food, ingredients, nutrition and plant-based.

29 were within national borders, with 19 of these in the United States, 4 in the United Kingdom and 3 in Spain.

34 were international, involving 32 countries.

Of the 63, 29 featured the United States, 11 the United Kingdom, 6 Spain, 5 Switzerland and 4 Italy.