Case 79 Willi-Food International Ltd

Willi-Food International Ltd. (Willi-Food) was incorporated in Israel in year 1994 and is a public company which is traded on the Nasdaq and Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Willi-Food is one of the fastest-growing companies in the Israeli food and beverage market. The company specializes in high-quality kosher food products. It is one of the largest import companies in Israel. The company focusses on export, import, marketing, and distribution of more than 600 dry, chilled, and frozen food products from 30 categories which are distributed to 5000 points of sale in the retail and professional markets across Israel and Palestinian Authority. In 2018, Willi-Food established a new subsidiary, Euro Dairies. The new subsidiary imports superior-quality dairy products such as specialty cheese, semihard cheese, feta cheese, and yogurts from leading manufacturers in Europe. The company basically imports its products and produces private labels for the leading grocery retailers in Israel and importers throughout the world. These products are then distributed and marketed in the local markets. The products distributed by the company are kosher and are produced under the supervision of different kashrut institutions in Israel and abroad which included “Badatz.” In 2022, 99% of the revenues were generated in Israel. The company purchases food products from over 150 suppliers in Israel and other regions which include the Far East, Eastern Europe, South America, United States, Canada, and Southern Europe. The products of the company are marketed and sold to approximately 1500 customers and 3000 selling points in Israel. Most of the products are sold under the brand name “Willi-Food” and certain chilled and frozen products are sold under the brand name “Euro European Dairies.” The food market in Israel is very price sensitive and the company faces direct competition from local manufacturers and importers of food products. The total cumulative monthly returns for the Willi-Food stock were 85% compared to the total cumulative monthly returns of 61% for the market index Nasdaq Composite during the period June 2018 to May 2023.