Polenghi (leader in lemon juice) buys in the USA

Shopping in the USA for the Plenghi Group, world leader in Italian lemon juice, present in over 90 countries: it has taken over 80% of the Nielsen Citrus Products Company, a Californian company founded in 1953 by the family of the same name and specialised in the production of lemon juice, mainly for food and foodservice companies. The remaining 20% of the company's capital was acquired by Simest for EUR 8 million.

"This is not a move made as a response to the duties announced by Trump," emphasises Filippo Scandellari, CEO of the San Rocco al Porto group, "but the result of a journey that began years ago, when Polenghi set its sights on the US market, one of the most important in the world for packaged lemon juice, and entered into a partnership with Nielsen, a company with our approach to quality and with a business that is complementary to ours, because it focuses on frozen and clean label products aimed at the b2b market while we work on fresh and realise 70% of our turnover in the retail channel. So when the opportunity arose to take it over, we didn't let it pass us by, and today we see it as a great opportunity to grow in the US, which is our main market".

This acquisition allows Polenghi to move its production from Florida to California, where US lemon production is concentrated, enhancing the quality of its offerings, streamlining logistics, and improving sustainability by reducing CO₂ emissions related to intercontinental transportation. "The strategic location of the Nielsen plant, located south of Los Angeles and in close proximity to lemon groves, will allow us to be close to local markets with fresh product and to continue to offer the naturalness and quality appreciated by consumers, which are driving sales of our clean label products, i.e. 100% natural and preservative-free," adds Scandellari.

The Nielsen operation represents an important step in the global development strategy of the Polenghi Group, which in the last five years has increased its turnover by more than 30%, reaching over 100 million euros in 2024. Founded in 1976 as an export-oriented family company, Polenghi is now transforming into an international company, thanks to the decision to locate production and marketing close to the end markets and the direct presence in France, Belgium, Holland and Canada. An expansion that has continued in 2024, in which Polenghi has recorded increases in sales in all segments and on all markets, with a particular accentuation in Asia, and especially in Korea and Japan, countries that are very attentive to Made in Italy.