Apetit Plc: Avena and Farmer’s Berner merge their input and grain trades under a new partnership-based operating model - the new name is Farmer's Avena Berner

Apetit Plc: Avena and Farmer’s Berner merge their input and grain trades under a new partnership-based operating model - the new name is Farmer's Avena Berner

Apetit Plc, Investor News, 13 June 2018 9:00 a.m.

Apetit Group’s Avena Nordic Grain Ltd and Farmer’s Berner are merging their purchase and sales organisations on input and grain trade. The operating model will be based on partnership and joint field organisation. The partnership will be called Farmer's Avena Berner.

Through the new operating model, the companies are able to offer Finnish farmers a domestically-owned partner in grain and oil crops trade, as well as in the use and purchase of agricultural inputs. Both companies are experts in their field and together they are able to provide Finnish farmers with even more versatile services. 

The establishment of the joint organisation does not include corporate transactions as, in the new operating model, the grain trade will be carried out on behalf of Avena and the input trade on behalf of Berner. The collaboration officially begins on 1 August 2018.

"In the future, farmers can purchase agricultural equipment and handle grain trade with the same experts in accordance with the single-window concept. The new operating model combines strong expertise on input and grain trades. In this way, we are able to guarantee future supply of agricultural trade services based on strong expertise”, says Juha Vanhainen, the CEO of Apetit.

"Both Berner and Avena are well-known experts in their main fields of activity. We want to offer this expertise to farmers to enable production of the best crops possible. We trust that the collaboration will give us the best possible conditions for building a reputation among Finnish farmers as a professional and reliable operator”, continues Antti Korpiniemi, the CEO of Berner.

Both companies will continue their business activities according to their strategies. Avena is part of Apetit Group and Berner will continue as a Finnish family business. The merged organization comprises 30 experts in the agricultural and grain trade as well as 10 experts in the professional gardening trade. Nation-wide business will operate through many local offices and reception points.

Farmer's Avena Berner’s ambition is to be the farmer’s best partner in Finland with an agile and efficient operating model. The extensive selection includes, e.g. seeds, plant protection agents, fertilizers and fuels as well as new services for measurement of agricultural operations and the quality of crops. The wide network of reception points provides good and reliable delivery points for grain and oil crops.

Apetit Plc

For more information, contact:

Antti Snellman, CEO, Avena Nordic Grain Ltd, antti.snellman@avena.fi, tel. +358 10 402 2511

Kalle Erkkola, Head of Division, Berner Ltd, kalle.erkkola@berner.fi, tel. +358 20 791 4302

Apetit is number one in vegetables. It is a food industry company firmly rooted in Finnish primary production. We create well-being with vegetables by offering healthy and tasty food solutions that make daily life easier. We also produce high-quality vegetable oils and rapeseed expellers for feeding stuff, and trade grain on the international markets. Apetit seeks to lead the way in vegetable-based food solutions. Apetit Plc’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. In 2017, the company’s net sales were EUR 312 million and it had approximately 640 employees. Read more at apetitgroup.fi. Avena Nordic Grain Ltd is part of Apetit Group.

Berner Ltd is a Finnish, financially-stable, family-owned company founded in 1883 whose high-quality Finnish and international brands are an integral part of daily life in Finland. At Berner, we manufacture and import sustainably-produced goods and services that bring increased wellness to people’s daily lives. In 2017, the Group’s turnover was EUR 316.5 million, and we employed 521 people. Our headquarters, product development and production facilities are based in Finland, with subsidiaries in Sweden and the Baltic countries. For more information, see berner.fi.