Farm Fresh to raise RM200mil to fuel Cambodian expansion, Inside Scoop buyout

KUALA LUMPUR: Dairy group Farm Fresh Bhd is planning to raise up to RM200 million in a private placement to expand its operations in Southeast Asia and secure a larger stake in ice cream company The Inside Scoop. The company plans to issue new shares, which would make up around 5.8 percent of its current share capital. According to Farm Fresh, approximately RM148.3 million of the funds raised will be used for infrastructure improvements and scaling their presence in Cambodia.

This investment will focus on upgrading processing facilities with ultra-high temperature (UHT) production lines and constructing a large-scale integrated dairy farm in Pursat province. These strategic upgrades aim to reduce logistics costs and tap into the expanding market in the Indochina region. Additionally, RM56.3 million from the fundraising efforts will go towards expanding Farm Fresh's Larkin processing facility in Malaysia and venturing into new fast-moving consumer goods segments.

The remaining RM50 million will be used to fulfill a put option exercise by Inside Scoop co-founder Edmund Tan. Once completed, Farm Fresh's debt ratio is projected to improve from 0.89 times to 0.53 times following the successful funding.