BULLETIN 7.1.2010

Santa Maria AB, which is noted for its high-quality spices and its international food concepts, officially  joined the Paulig Group in the beginning of 2010. Paulig Group, which already had an 81 per cent holding in the company, also gained a majority in voting rights. The Paulig Group, which is known for its coffees, has expanded its holdings in the Swedish company far-sightedly since 1989. The net sales of Paulig and Santa Maria for last year were roughly 700 million euros and their combined personnel number almost 2,000.

For Paulig, Santa Maria joining the Group is a major step on the company’s path to internationalisation and growth, as Santa Maria has rapidly expanded in Western Europe through acquisitions in recent years. The unit now formed is one of Europe's leading corporations focusing on taste sensations and it operates in 12 countries. The Group’s net sales will grow from 300 million to 700 million, of which Tex-Mex products generate almost half, coffee more than a third, and spices a fifth.

“Paulig and Santa Maria together comprise a significant corporate family focused on taste sensations, with a wide range of products and services and nearly 2,000 employees. Although the business areas will continue to operate independently in their own subsectors, the new Group will provide plenty of opportunities for collaboration in different markets. The expanded corporation will also be more attractive from the personnel’s viewpoint,” comments CEO Jaana Tuominen.

“The change looks big in figures, but in-house it’s moderate because Santa Maria has been part of our business operations for years. On the Group level, for instance, Paulig and Santa Maria have a joint Management Team,” says Jaana Tuominen of the background.

Santa Maria’s head office, spice plant and taco factory are in Gothenburg, Sweden. A modern tortilla plant was completed in Landskrona in 2008. The company also has production plants in Estonia, Belgium and the UK. Santa Maria is Europe's largest supplier of Tex-Mex products and it is the market leader for seasonings in the Nordic and Baltic countries. In addition to seasonings and Tex-Mex, the product concepts also include BBQ, Thai and Indian flavours. The company’s products are sold in more than 30 countries.

Paulig Group’s coffee business is managed by Gustav Paulig Ltd. The company is the market leader for the coffee sector in Finland and the Baltic countries as well as the second biggest player in the Russian market for roasted coffee. The company has just completed a new roastery in Helsinki and another roastery will be completed in the Russian city of Tver in 2011.

The Group also includes the Industrial Flavorings Division, which serves the food industry in several markets. Its products are made in state-of-the-art production facilities in Saue, Estonia. A separate division, especially valued by the Horeca sector, is comprised by Oscar-Puljonki, which makes stocks and sauces and has production plants in Denmark and Finland.

Further information:

Paulig Ltd, CEO and Managing Director Jaana Tuominen, +358 40 506 2339

www.pauliggroup.com, www.santamariaworld.com