Flora Food Group (Country Crock) Buys Shuttered Southwestern Kansas Plant

Oct. 9, 2024

The Unilever spinoff will reopen a Hugoton, Kan., facility to make cream and cream cheese products for the U.S. and Canada. Read to the bottom to see their new paper margarine tub.

Dave Fusaro

Flora Food Group BV, the Dutch owner of Country Crock and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spreads, in late September purchased a recently closed manufacturing facility in Hugoton, Kan., that Flora will reopen to make cream and cream cheese products for the U.S. and Canada.

The creams category is one of Flora Food Group’s four growing categories and a priority for development, said a news announcement. “The acquisition of the Hugoton facility and further investments planned for the site will support the company’s creams business in the region and help fulfill its growth plans.”

Price and size details of the new facility were not disclosed, nor who was the previous owner. It will complement Flora’s existing New Century, Kan., facility, which makes butters and spread products. The new one will be the 15th Flora-owned plant across five continents, which allows the company to manufacture more than 90% of its products.

Flora, formerly known as Upfield Group, was spun off from Unilever and purchased by investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 2018 for $8 billion.

Also of note: Flora launched a paper tub for its spreads in Europe. “Whilst our plastic packaging is designed to be recycled, we know that not all of it is," the company said. “That is why we have pioneered new paper tub packaging for spreads like Flora, made from compressed wet paper fibers, that is plastic-free, oil-resistant and is fully recyclable. This will allow us to transition away from over 750,000 plastic tubs annually for Flora in Europe alone.”

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.