German food and beverage manufacturer Krüger Group has acquired Switzerland-based Hermes Süssstoff from pharmaceutical company Klosterfrau.

Financial details were not disclosed.

Krüger Group will gain brands such as Hermesetas, SteviaSweet and Assugrin. According to the German group, Hermesetas is the “market leader in northern Europe” and has a “strong international presence in countries such as Australia, the UK, Ireland and many other countries”.

“With the acquisition of Hermes Süssstoff AG, we are strengthening our position as an international quality and innovation leader,” the Krüger management said in the statement.

The transaction has already been completed and business operations “will continue unchanged”, the business said. The Krüger Group, founded in 1971, said it employs around 5,600 people at 21 locations in ten countries. The company's brands include Schogetten, Trumpf, Kaba and Sodapopp.

Krüger Group produces chocolate products, coffee, infant nutrition and sports nutrition products alongside its sweetener portfolio. Its brands include K-fee, Ludwig Schokolade and Wilhelm Reuss.

It generated circa €2.5bn ($2.72bn) in sales last year, according to its website.

In September, the company snapped up trademark rights for the full range of products of the three brands Kaba, Suchard Express and Benco from France-based confectioner Carambar & Co.

In other German confectionery news, Mars revealed last month that it was planning on investing €40m in a chocolate factory in Germany, in part to support production of its Twix brand.

The four-year project at the site in Viersen in western Germany will see Mars install a new packaging line for Twix chocolate amid what the company said was growing demand for the product. The move would mean the additional bars could be packaged on-site.