Supremia supplies herbs and spices, functional ingredients such as alginates, preservatives, flavours, colours and starter cultures for the meat and dairy industries as well as casings.
If approved by anti-trust authorities, which is expected in the coming months, the agreement will transfer ownership from Supremia Group’s founder and owner Levente Hugo Bara to Solina, a Brittany-based supplier of texturants, stabilisers, seasonings and batter coatings.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Solina CEO Laurent Weber said customers of both groups would benefit from what will be the largest R&D and production network in Europe. “We are committed to remaining a highly innovative, service and customer-orientated, as well as an agile company,” he said.
“Being a larger size means that we will be able to make our procurement process more efficient, as well as offering unique growth opportunities for our preferred suppliers.”
Solina already has a sales office in Romania, and Weber said this acquisition was a major step that would transform the area into a regional hub for the company. Headquartered in Alba Lulia in central Romania, Supremia was founded in 2000 and reported a sales turnover of €52.1 million in 2016.
“Eastern Europe is a strategic move for us as seasoning market is already well-developed in this area. Romania enjoys a high growth and a strong meat and prepared meal industry. Moreover, it is a very central country for some raw materials,” Weber added.
Solina identified the Romanian ingredient supplier as a potential acquisition for its “competitive business and very strong model for [the ingredients] industry”.
Weber confirmed there would be no job losses, with all 300 Supremia employees joining Solina. “We have a local presence in every country we operate – we want our local teams to keep the control of their business. Furthermore, [we] actively recruit in all fields and in all countries each year,” he told FoodNavigator.
Hugo Bara said: “Solina is the best partner for us and for the future of our organisation, with interesting potential synergies and the combined group will become stronger and a more attractive partner for our customers.”
Solina has 11 production facilities across Europe, a turnover of €305 million in 2014 and around 1200 employees.
Last year it bought UK specialty sauce manufacturer New Ivory.