Convenience: the trend with staying power

The newest member of the Bell Food Group is one of the largest suppliers of long-life convenience products in Europe. Its nine production plants in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, the UK and the Netherlands produce a wide range of products, including soups, sauces, bouillons, seasoning mixes, hot and cold liquid sauces and dessert products. The company supplies professional out-of-home catering with tailor-made concepts and the food processing industry with semi-finished products. Hügli also offers ranges for end consumers under its own brands and as private labels. In line with current developments, these include natural food and health food products.

For more than 40 years, Eisberg has been delighting customers with ready-cut salads, vegetables and fruit. Today, the company is one of the leading suppliers of convenience salads in Europe and number one in Switzerland and Eastern Europe. Eight ultra-modern production plants in Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania and, most recently, Austria, manufacture the high-quality products. Wholesale customers can find a wide variety of products in large containers, from classic Eisberg lettuce, the company's namesake, to fruit, salad and vegetable mixes and ready-cut potato slices. In the retail trade, Eisberg also ensures conscious enjoyment with the three crunchy salad varieties "Green Picnic", "Green Time" and "Green Gourmet". With its constantly growing range of to-go salads and fruit, Eisberg is responding to the trend of being able to consume healthy meals anytime and anywhere.

In the 1980s, Hilcona began its triumphal march through supermarkets and became the epitome of fresh pasta from the chiller cabinet. The range now includes numerous other product groups. These include sandwiches, salads, ready meals, muesli and the new "Hilcona Water". Hilcona is also positioning itself as an innovative veggie expert by setting up its own competence center for vegetarian products. In the food service segment, Hilcona also impresses its customers with unusual variations that are designed for easy preparation in restaurants and commercial kitchens. The high-quality ready-to-cook, ready-to-prepare and ready-to-eat convenience products are produced at three specialized locations in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The commissioning of a production site in Germany is also planned for 2019

With its comprehensive range of meat convenience products, Bell shows just how versatile this food is. Bell began producing tinned meat products such as juiced ham and liver pâté as early as 1913. In the 1930s, so-called "Traiteur goods" such as sausage rye or ham croissants were added. in 1971, the Swiss revolutionized cooking with their Quick products. The Quick process greatly simplified the time-consuming preparation of pork neck, beef tongue and various pork hams and extended the shelf life to 40 days.

Today, convenience fans can find a varied product range from roast ham and chicken nuggets to salad toppings and small snacks for on the go. For food service customers, the Bell Professional range also offers convenience products tailored to their needs. Preparing the products for both target groups requires little or no handling at all.

The location of Marchtrenk in the heart of Europe is favorably chosen due to its proximity to numerous sister companies of the Bell Food Group as well as its proximity to growers and regional suppliers. "Especially with regard to the procurement of raw materials, good cooperation with local Austrian producers is important to us. We want to expand existing partnerships and enter into new collaborations," says Franco Mühlgrabner, Managing Director of Eisberg Austria. After all, surveys show that the regionality of products is an important purchasing criterion for Austrian consumers.