Marubeni Corporation has acquired 100% of the shares of Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts Inc., an ice cream manufacturing company based in Arizona in the United States, to thereby make Bubbies a wholly owned Marubeni Group subsidiary (hereinafter, the “Acquisition”) and mark Marubeni’s entry into the ice cream manufacturing business in the United States.
An ice cream store founded in Hawaii in 1985, Bubbies began commercially producing ice cream on the U.S. mainland in 2018. The company’s flagship products consist of ice cream wrapped in mochi (rice cake) dough and are popular among health-conscious and trend-savvy consumers due to their colorful appearance, wide variety of flavors, and use of natural ingredients. These characteristics have resonated with a growing health consciousness and changing consumer preferences. Bubbies products are oriented by the concepts of “natural” and “healthy.” The company continues to expand its sales network, primarily through major supermarket chains throughout the U.S.
The U.S. food market ranks among the largest in the world, and experts expect it to maintain steady growth into the future. The market for novelty ice cream products produced by Bubbies in particular continues to expand, with growth therein expected to significantly outpace that of growth in the food market overall. Marubeni aims to leverage the knowledge and expertise gained from its food manufacturing and distribution businesses in Japan and the ASEAN region to further expand the scale of Bubbies’ business and improve profitability.
In its Mid-Term Management Strategy (GC2027), Marubeni is focusing on Strategic Platform-type Businesses (businesses with “Growth Domains x High Added Value x Scalability”). The acquisition will result in the delivery of high value-added food products to the growing U.S. food market, with Marubeni aiming to further expand its food business in the United States by building on these efforts. At the same time, we will continue to contribute to the development of food culture around the world as well as the realization of enriched dietary lifestyles while working to enhance the corporate value of the entire Marubeni Group.