Garden Isle sold

LambWeston/Meijer (LWM), a leading potato processing company jointly owned by U.S.-based ConAgra Foods/LambWeston and Meijer Beheer B.V. of the Netherlands, announced today that they have acquired 100 percent of the shares of Smith & Holbourne Ltd, the parent company of Garden Isle Ltd., the United Kingdom’s second largest frozen potato processor based in Wisbech.

In 2004, Garden Isle, a family-owned potato processor, invested in a state-of-the-art processing plant in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire county.  The plant is currently capable of producing more than 90.000 tons of potato products and has a workforce of approximately 130 employees who will become Lamb Weston/Meijer employees.

LWM is one of Europe’s largest processors of frozen potato products and the leading supplier of innovative frozen potato specialties with a yearly capacity of over 500.000 tons of finished product and approximately 1.000 employees.  LWM serves many of the worldwide leaders in foodservice, fastfood and retail segments.

In a statement LWM said current LWM and Garden Isle customers will benefit from the two companies combined innovation, production capabilities and industry expertise. 

In line with relationships LWM has built with potato farmers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Central Europe, the Wisbech plant will also provide UK farmers with ample opportunities to establish long term partnership supply arrangements, the company said in a statement.