‘We want to build a group that will outlive us all’ – James Barbara 

James Caterers Founder James Barbara has unveiled a new corporate identity, ETERNA, bringing together a group of major Maltese businesses spanning food production, catering, healthcare and community care.

Addressing the launch, Mr Barbara said ETERNA builds on over 35 years of work, which all started when he established James Confectionary as a small family-run business back in 1989.

“We chose ETERNA because we want to build a group that will outlive us all,” he said. 

“Each of our businesses has grown by meeting a need in people’s everyday lives, whether that means preparing a meal, caring for someone at home or training the people who deliver those services.” 

“Bringing our expertise together gives us a stronger foundation to invest in our teams, improve our services and take Maltese capabilities into new markets for sustainable long-term growth.”

He said ETERNA reflected both the organisation’s growth and its ambitions for the future.

ETERNA comprises James Caterers, Malta Healthcare Caterers, Healthmark, The Food Factory and Kore, employing around 6,600 people and generating annual revenue of €244.6 million.

While the five businesses have been grouped under a common corporate identity and strategic direction, the individual brands have been been retained.

Mr Barbara is ETERNA’s chairman, while Fredrick Azzopardi is Managing Director, Joseph Barbara, Jurgen Barbara and Arthur Gauci are Executive Directors, and Jalie Jay Barbara and Maria Micallef are Non-Executive Directors.  

Charlotte Sant Portanier is CEO for Healthcare, Joel Cachia is Group Chief Financial Officer, Priya Lakshmanan is Group Chief Strategy and Optimisation Officer, David Darmanin is Group Chief Technology Officer, and Ronald Aquilina is Group Head of Legal.

Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Alex Borg were both present at the launch.