Acquisition

Kerry Group PLC
10 October 2003









                                          Press Announcement



10 October 2003                           For immediate release





     Kerry announces US$62m further development initiatives in global food
                       ingredients and flavours markets.



Kerry, the global ingredients, flavours and consumer foods group, today
announced the acquisitions of U.S. based Da Vinci Gourmet and Crystals
International. The businesses are being acquired for a total consideration of
US$62m.



Da Vinci Gourmet is a leading manufacturer of branded flavoured syrups,
confectionary sauces and tea concentrates - serving specialty coffee chains,
specialty food and grocery stores and foodservice outlets in more than forty
countries. Based in Seattle, Washington, Da Vinci Gourmet is a leading brand in
the fast growing specialty coffee market. With over sixty distinctive flavours
within the traditional, sugar-free and all-natural syrup markets, applications
include expresso-drinks, brewed coffee and tea, granitas, smoothies, desserts,
Italian sodas and other beverages.



Crystals International is a leading specialist manufacturer of natural fruit and
vegetable flavours for beverage, confectionary, dairy, nutraceutical and
pharmaceutical applications. Through unique proprietary processing technologies,
Crystals International, based in Plant City, Florida, has developed a reputation
as the world's leading source of specialty all-natural fruit flavours, serving
food processor, beverage, nutraceutical and foodservice markets across twenty
eight countries.



Mr Hugh Friel, Managing Director of Kerry Group said that the acquisitions
represented two further important steps in broadening the Group's technology and
customer base in fast growing niches of global foodservice, ingredients and
flavours markets. 'The acquisition of Da Vinci Gourmet consolidates Kerry's
leadership position in the gourmet coffee segment, complementing the Stearns and
Lehman business acquired in 2002. Combining Crystals International with
Mastertaste's existing flavour technologies - in particular through synergies
with the Florida based SunPure acquisition completed in February 2003 -
considerably strengthens the flavour division's position in beverage flavours
and bases and in other all-natural sweet and savoury flavour applications', Mr
Friel added.



                                      ends



For further information please contact

Frank Hayes,

Director Corporate Affairs,

Kerry Group plc.

Telephone:  + 353 66 7182304

Fax:  + 353 66 7182972

Email:  [e-mail]

Website:  www.kerrygroup.com


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange                   XG