The Strauss Group, Israel’s second-largest food & beverage company, is today an international corporation with around 13,000 global employees operating twenty two production sites in twenty countries. In the last six years the Group has consistently achieved growth, generating around $1.62 billion in turnover at the end of 2009, of which 47% came from international activities. The Strauss Group is comprised of four core business units: Strauss Israel, Strauss Coffee, Strauss North America and Strauss Water.
The Group is a leading player in coffee markets in Central and Eastern Europe, Brazil and Israel for roast & ground (R&G) coffee and other coffee related products and services. The Strauss Group is traded on the Tel Aviv 25 Index, which lists the largest public companies in Israel, and has achieved a top AA+ credit rating from Maalot, an affiliate of Standard and Poor’s. The Strauss Group is in partnership with leading multinationals Danone and PepsiCo; and Strauss Coffee recently entered into a partnership with TPG Capital, a leading private equity investment fund.
The Strauss Way – One Way, Many Goals
Creating Wonder Out of Basics
The unique Strauss vision, with its passion to take the most basic elements and turn them into wonders, is today the core DNA of the company, both as a business approach and in the development of its products. The vision Creating Wonders Out of Basics drives the company to enrich people’s quality of life and wellbeing by creating special products and developing fresh and innovative solutions.
The core values – Caring & Daring; Passion & Responsibility; and the Team – represent a synergetic duality that together creates the essence of the company.
Strauss in Israel - Creating Wonder at Home
Strauss Israel serves as the Group’s home base with local activities focusing on the categories of Health & Wellness; Fun & Indulgence; Coffee; and Water. The company’s brands are leaders in the Israeli food market in all of its core categories and include many of the Israeli consumer’s favorite, preferred and nostalgic products. Strauss Israel is the heart and soul of the Strauss Group, as well as the base for its headquarters including all Group and local activities.
Strauss Coffee - Creating Wonder Out of Coffee Beans
Strauss Coffee is currently the fifth-largest coffee company in the world in terms of green coffee procurement and over the last seven years has been one of the world’s fastest growing coffee companies. During this period Strauss Coffee more than tripled in size, growing from NIS 1 billion in 2002 to NIS 3.5 billion by the end of 2009. Strauss Coffee activities focus on the roast & ground coffee category and other complementary coffee products that provide solutions for AFH, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and office coffee services. The Company enjoys a leading position in coffee markets in Central and Eastern Europe, Brazil and Israel; and is ranked as the number 1 or 2 player in most markets where it operates.
Strauss North America - Creating Wonder Out of Entrepreneurship
Sabra – Chilled Dips and Spreads
Max Brenner - Unique Chocolate Bar Concept
The sinfully delicious Max Brenner chocolates and the distinctive chain of Chocolate Bars that are spreading around the world are now widely recognized as an innovative, matchless retail concept. With their unique chocolate culture they subtly enhance the social experience of going out and enjoying the pure fun of drinking and eating chocolate. The Max Brenner chocolate brand is developing as a global indulgence concept in various parts of the world, and currently 29 Chocolate Bars operate in Israel, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore and the U.S.
Strauss Water - Creating Wonder Out of Nature
Strauss Water is a global company that provides drinking water solutions. The Strauss Group identified the drinking water category as a significant strategic opportunity to improve the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. As a first step, the company invested in a breakthrough water-purification technology that was developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. With their next step, Strauss Water acquired Tami 4, a market leader in Israel and one of the world’s leading companies in the development, production and marketing of drinking water purification, filtering, heating and cooling systems, for both the in-home and away-from-home markets. Strauss Water, which currently operates in Israel and the UK, is planning expansion into additional geographies in the future. Wherever it operates, the company intends to provide the basic need of clean and safe water through innovative technologies for cooling and purifying water and a unique business model, while caring for people, water and the environment.
Social Responsibility & Community Involvement
With over seventy years of caring, concern and involvement in the community, CSR management policies are an integral element of the Strauss Group global corporate culture. In 2009 the Group incorporated a global Code of Ethics into all Strauss Group activities worldwide and developed a policy for corporate governance and environmental protection through various focused initiatives. In accordance with the Group’s commitment to promoting corporate responsibility at the global level, Strauss joined the UN Global Compact Organization and the 4C Organization that promotes Fair Trade Coffee for a better coffee world. For the past five years, the Group’s Social Responsibility plan has received public recognition, and Strauss is currently the highest ranked company according to the Ma’ala Index for Social Responsibility in Israeli companies.
