The juice and fruit-based beverage producers CO-RO and Orana have large sales in the Middle East and are very concerned about the developments; therefore, preparations have been made to evacuate employees if the situation escalates further, as reported by Børsen.

The juice and fruit-based beverage producer CO-RO, which is headquartered at Frederikssund, last year generated 59 percent of its revenue in the conflict-ridden Middle East. Therefore, the escalating conflict in and around Israel gives cause for concern, and the juice manufacturer has just changed its emergency preparedness. Thus, the company is ready to evacuate expatriate employees, and a special risk committee has been established to monitor the situation, as underlined by CEO Søren Holm Jensen to Børsen (business news media):

– Boycotts driven by geopolitics, religion, or the like by customers or consumers are always a concern for brand manufacturers. This is what we and other Danish companies experienced during the Mohammad crisis in the mid-00’s, Søren Holm Jensen underscores. CO-RO has about 1,150 employees, of which about a third are in the Middle East and about 300 employees work in Denmark.

Orana is also included in the interview with Børsen, and here CEO Niels Østerberg states that 30-40 percent of the company’s turnover comes from the conflict-ridden region. He underscores that sales to American chains such as McDonald’s and Pizza Hut have been impacted by boycotts as the chains are on “Israel’s side”. On the other hand, sales to the local consumers have increased.

Børsen has also tried to obtain comments from Arla Foods, which has a turnover of DKK 7 billion in the region. However, the company refrains from commenting on the situation.

Read the entire interview on Børsen (subscription required) HERE