Prime Minister views phase one of Magro Brothers expansion programme

by Gozo News · June 13, 2025

Prime Minister Robert Abela visited the Magro Food Village at Xewkija Gozo to view the completion of phase one of the company’s expansion programme and the preparation for the remaining stages of this investment.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri, together with several high officials from the public sector.

They were welcomed by Mr John Magro, Charmian of Magro Brothers, and the directors of the company.

Magro Brothers offers a wide range of foodstuffs for the overseas and local markets, and in Malta it is best renowned for the processing of fresh tomatoes, with special emphasis on Kunserva, tomato ketchup and other condiments, under the company’s heritage brands of Three Hills, Mayor and Hanini.

Magro Brothers said that it employs 230 people, at their state-of-the-art industrial complex in Xewkija Gozo and creates a further 48 full-time equivalent employees, by way of a multiplier effect of its production activities. Furthermore, 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, while fresh milk is supplied daily by 20 Maltese and Gozitan herdsmen.

For the period 2024-2028 Magro Brothers explained that it intends to make a further investment to develop their industrial complex in Xewkija, Gozo. This investment, which has already started, will allow Magro Brothers (Foods) to double its production capacity for table sauces, which it presently exports to some 22 countries, principally to north European countries. To this effect, the company said it 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 substantial growth in its table sauces’ exports and during 2024 it has successfully reached full production capacity, working 24 hours per day for most of the year. In the same year, the company was also awarded “The Best Large Maltese Exporter” by Trade Malta as well as ‘Overall Winners’ of the Malta International Business Awards 2024.

Following this success, the directors of the company 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, the company said.

Such an investment embraces the latest technological development in the table sauces food-production sector world-wide and offers various ecological credentials, in reduced energy consumption, during both the processing and filling stages of production lines. Magro said that “this investment will also advantageously allow the company to offer its customers recyclable bottles, that are blown on site, thereby substantially reducing the 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 said it 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.

“This overall, positive project investment will generate additional vacancies for 15 specialised technicians in 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,” said the company.

Furthermore, Magro said that it is also envisaged that most of the current workforce “would need to be re-skilled to successfully operate and follow new production processes of the new state-of-the-art equipment forming part of this project.”

Magro Brothers said that “at present the company is considered as 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.”