Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-jl) -- Good Foods Peru, which owns the popular Peruvian food brand Winter's, has been sold to a private Colombian company, the National Chocolate Group of Colombia, for 36 million U.S. Dollars.

“Good Foods Peru is one of the most important Peruvian companies involved with the processing of cocoa, chocolate, and confectionery products,” stated its president Carlos Enrique Piedrahita.

This is the fifth major acquisition for the National Chocolate Group of Colombia, recently purchasing two companies in Panama and Costa Rica, as well as two companies in Colombia, commented Piedrahita.

The head of the National Chocolate Group noted Good Foods Peru's strong market presence in chocolates as its major attraction, which he expects to become stronger.

Piedrahita also added he expects Good Foods Peru to serve as a platform to launch Colombian products into the Peruvian market and at the same time compliment exportations where Peru is already competitive.

Although Piedrahita did not specify the exact amount of investments made by his company in 2006, he did indicate that the Colombian group has taken out nearly 179 million U.S. Dollars in loans.

Good Foods Peru is expected to reach sales nearing 40 million U.S. Dollars with a cash flow of approximately 6 million U.S. Dollars.