Magro Brothers have 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.

Clint Camilleri, Minister for Gozo and Planning and Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects paid an official visit to The Magro Food Village on Friday. They were welcomed by the Magro family and were given a tour around the complex.

The company said that it 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 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 said it 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.

During the period 2024-2028 Magro Brothers said it intends 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 said it 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.

As a means of enhancing its production capacity and attracting more foreign clients, the Company is endeavouring to make a further major investment to its existing enterprise.

Magro explained that the project will be divided into three main phases and, most importantly, will be housed in the same industrial footprint of the Magro Food Village at Xewkija Gozo.The first phase of the project is dedicated to: the purchase and installation of a new Filler/Capping machine to hot-fill sauces at higher speeds than the existing production line; the purchase and installation of a new high-density shelving and pallet shuttle system, complemented with reach trucks to increase the storage capacity of two existing stores by 70%; and the construction of a new mezzanine floor to house a new, state-of-the-art, automated, sauce-processing kitchen plant.

The second phase of the project will be devoted to: the purchase and installation of a new automated sauce-processing kitchen plant; the purchase and installation of other ancillary machines to further increase the capacity of existing hot-fill lines; and the fabrication and construction of another mezzanine level, on top of the existing main production hall, to house the new filling line.

The third phase of the project will consist of: the purchase and installation of an Aseptic/Ultra-Clean, Cold-fill, sauce packaging line together with an in-line PET blow moulding machine and ancillaries; the purchase and installation of other high-density shelving systems and reach trucks for other existing stores, to house the packaging material for the PET project; and the extension of the existing solar panel system by 25%, to cater for the increased demand of energy.

The total investment for this project, over the period 2024 to 2028, will amount to over €12.5 million.

Magro Brothers said that ”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, it said, ”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 metres of additional industrial space in Gozo.

As a further bonus, Magro said that ”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 said that it is ”considered to be one of the top 10, table sauce manufacturing companies, in Europe.”

It claimed that ”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 concluded by saying that it is ”confident of the success of this project and proud to be a flagship enterprise of Malta overseas.”

Photos: Magro Bros

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