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Rein Nooteboom, Managing Partner of Vormenfabriek Tilburg B.V. since 1989, founds acquisition partners for the company. Anders Invest has taken over the shares, together with Gert-Jan Kloppers, who has acquired a minority stake and will lead the Vormenfabriek as new Managing Director.

They will add a new chapter to the great and long history of the company. In the almost 100-year history of Vormenfabriek, the company has grown into one of the leading players in the world in the development, manufacturing and worldwide sales of polycarbonate injection moulded-, thermo formed and silicone rubber moulds for the international chocolate and confectionary industry. The entire design, development and production process is being performed in Tilburg.

During this history, the technological expertise, innovative abilities and loyalty of the team of employees made Vormenfabriek what it is today. The new shareholders are looking forward to contribute to the future of this great company. Kloppers has extensive experience as a Managing Director in companies with international sales and marketing activities for technical products. Kloppers said, “We look forward to lead this great company, with its long history and craftsmanship, into its second century.”

In collaboration with beekeepers, Fismer Lecithin has developed special lecithins for use in pollen substitutes.  

Pollen forms the basis of natural nutritional support for bees. At certain times of the year, for example in our cultural landscape in spring, an adequate supply of pollen in nature is not guaranteed. Beekeepers can strengthen their bee colonies by feeding them with pollen substitutes. These feeds have a high protein and vitamin content. Lecithin developed by Fismer combined with brewer's yeast is a tried and tested mixture that effectively promotes the spring development of the colonies and helps them through other pollen shortages.

Josephine Coombe, Managing Director of Nulogy in Europe, has been appointed to the board of the European Co-Packers Association (ECPA). The move comes as the ECPA sees increased demand for contract packing and contract manufacturing services from brands across Europe.

Josephine Coombe joins the four existing board members of the ECPA and will help provide an international perspective on enhancing agility through innovation in the external supply chain. With over 20 years’ experience serving global FMCG and retail brands in North America and Europe, she is a senior leader focused on the digital transformation of supply chains worldwide.

Gelita AG, global market leader in the field of gelatine and collagen peptides, appoints Dr Sven Abend to the executive board of Gelita AG, effective from 1 November 2020. Dr Abend will succeed Dr Franz Josef Konert as of 1 January 2021, who is retiring at his own request at the end of the year. Dr Abend’s most recent position was COO of the Lonza Group, where he was responsible for the Specialty Ingredients division, and was also a member of the executive board.

The supervisory board furthermore appointed Jan Christoph Teetz as CFO of Gelita AG from 1 October 2020. Prior to this, Mr Teetz was CFO at Tesa SE, a company of the Beiersdorf Group, for more than ten years. Together with the current COO, Michael Van Elsacker, the new executive board shall shape the company’s continued expansion.

The world is another chocolate-themed attraction richer. With a spectacular inauguration, the curtain was raised on the new Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg. The unique Chocolate Competence Center with interactive museum, research plant, open-view production line and many other highlights will be delighting visitors from Switzerland and across the world from Sunday on. A few days before the official opening, the new destination of Switzerland’s chocolate industry was inaugurated with a grand opening ceremony. The impressive chocolate museum is a comprehensive information platform on all matters concerning chocolate and is open to the public.

Together with Swiss Federal Council Ueli Maurer and tennis star Roger Federer, President of the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation Ernst Tanner unveiled the highlight of the Lindt Home of Chocolate. During an imposing ceremony in the entrance hall, the protagonists brought down a golden curtain and revealed the over 9-meter high spectacular chocolate fountain, accompanied by a shower of golden confetti. “The chocolate fountain is the centerpiece of the Lindt Home of Chocolate and represents a homage to the globally renowned and popular Lindor truffles,” explained Tanner. Of course, the epic ceremony also featured the famous Master Chocolatiers.

During the celebrations, brand ambassador Roger Federer presented a new video that brought a smile to people’s faces. In the film, the world tennis star and a Master Chocolatier set out on a secret mission of discovery through the Lindt Home of Chocolate, with numerous funny moments and several surprising scenes. Sport ace Roger Federer is full of enthusiasm for the new chocolate museum: “The Lindt Home of Chocolate is a unique chocolate experience and I look forward to coming here with my kids.” Swiss Federal Council Maurer is also impressed by the new Chocolate Competence Center and emphasized in his speech: “Chocolate is a part of our national identity and the chocolate industry is an extremely important economic sector of our country. For this reason, fostering local chocolate expertise is synonymous with boosting Switzerland as an economic location.”

More than CHF 100 m were invested in the Chocolate Competence Center. Situated close to Zurich and benefiting from excellent public transport connections, the new attraction will provide an exciting destination for up to 350,000 chocolate fans from Switzerland and abroad.

The upcoming interpack in Düsseldorf was postponed from its original date in May 2020 to the following year, due to the Corona pandemic. It will now take place from 25 February to 3 March 2021 and continues to be fully booked. Messe Düsseldorf relies on a comprehensive hygiene concept in order to protect exhibitors and visitors. “interpack is the most important event in the international packaging industry and, especially in times of crisis, provides crucial stimuli in order to build a successful future for the companies involved. Therefore, we give our all in order to do justice to this responsibility and simultaneously guarantee the best possible protection of the health of the people coming to our trade fair centre”, emphasises Thomas Dohse, Project Director at interpack.

The hygiene plan has already proved that it lives up to its motto: “PROTaction - Back to Business” with Caravan Salon, the first trade fair at the Düsseldorf trade fair centre after the Corona break. After selling personalised tickets exclusively online before the trade fair, extensive hygiene measures shaped implementation of the concept on-site.

Thomas Dohse (50) has been the new leader of interpack in his capacity as Project Director since the start of September. He follows Bernd Jablonowski, who rose to the Managing Board of Messe Düsseldorf as an Executive Director.  

Dohse has woven an excellent web of connections within the global packaging industry and the related process industry. He has been part of the interpack team at Messe Düsseldorf since 2005 and led interpack 2017 on an operative level as Deputy Director. During this period, the father of three supported many formative themes for interpack, such as Save Food and the special shows under the innovationparc label. These are now also successful at the international events within the scope of the interpack alliance, which will also be led by Dohse in the future.