Magro Brothers invest €12.5 million
Hon. Clint Camilleri, minister for Gozo and Planning and Hon. Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects paid an official visit to The Magro Food Village on Friday 17th May 2024. They were welcomed by the Magro family and were given a tour around the complex.
A press conference was addressed to the media where Magro brothers announced that their company will invest €12.5 million in a new project to develop further their industrial complex in Xewkija, Gozo. This project will double the production capacity of the company, of table sauces and condiments targeted mainly for overseas markets. With this new investment the company will have the capacity and ability to compete with the top 5 European companies in the sector.
Press Release – Magro Brothers Investment Program
INTRODUCTION
Magro Brothers are well-renowned food processors that operate from the island of Gozo.
The company offers a wide range of foodstuffs for the overseas and local markets, namely the processing of fresh tomatoes, with special emphasis on tomato ketchup and other condiments, for the world market and a range of tomato-derived products for the domestic market, using the company`s heritage brands of Three Hills, Mayor and Hanini.
Magro Brothers employs 170 people and creates a further 48 full-time equivalent employees, by way of a multiplier effect of its production activities.
Annually, the company buys around 80% of the locally produced, fresh tomato crop, from 90 local farmers, and a variety of fresh vegetables from another 10 local farmers.
INVESTMENT PROGRAM
During the period 2024-2028 Magro Brothers intend to make a further investment to develop their industrial complex in Xewkija, Gozo. This investment will allow Magro Brothers (Foods) Ltd to double its production capacity of table sauces, which it presently exports to some 22 countries, principally to north European countries. To this effect, the company has set up 2 subsidiary companies, one in UK and another one in Ireland, to ensure a better level of service to their customers in these vital markets. Over the past years, the company has been experiencing a substantial growth in its exports of table sauces and during 2024 it has successfully reached full production capacity, working 24 hours per day all year round.
Hence, the directors have decided to enhance their production capacity. The total investment for this project, over the period 2024 to 2028, will amount to over €12.5 million.
Such investment embraces the latest technological development in the table sauces food-production sector in the world and offers various ecological credentials, in reduced energy consumption, during both the processing and filling stages of the production lines. This investment will also advantageously allow the company to offer its customers 100% recyclable bottles, that are blown on site, thereby substantially reducing carbon emissions presently incurred during the transport of empty bottles to the Magro manufacturing plant. All this is in line with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives which are currently being undertaken by Magro Brothers. Furthermore, the company has elected to house this project within the existing industrial footprint; thereby avoiding the need to request around 5000sq meters of additional industrial space in Gozo.
As a further bonus, this investment will generate additional vacancies for 15 specialised technicians as direct employment, and as a multiplier effect will create a further 28 full-time employees for ancillary services and supplies directly-related along the supply chain. In addition, it is also being envisaged that most of the current workforce would need to be reskilled to successfully operate and follow new production processes of the new state-of-the-art equipment forming part of this project.
At present, Magro Brothers (Foods) Ltd is considered to be one of the top 10, table sauce manufacturing companies, in Europe. With this new investment the company will have the capacity and ability to compete with the top 5 European companies in the sector. Magro Brothers are confident of the success of this project and proud to be a flagship enterprise of Malta overseas.
