Brazilian food giant JBS has announced a deal to acquire plant-based group Vivera in a deal worth €341 million, significantly increasing its footprint in this growing category.
Vivera is the third biggest plant-based producer in Europe, producing a broad range of plant-based meat replacement products for major retailers in over 25 markets.
The deal includes three manufacturing facilities and a research and development centre located in the Netherlands.
JBS Investment
The move strengthens JBS' global plant-based food network, which is a category that is expected to grow substantially across different markets.
For JBS, which recently reported strong fourth-quarter profits, it also helps to strengthen the group's focus on value-added products.
Vivera is currently the largest independent plant-based company in Europe and will join with the group's other initiatives such as Seara’s Incrível line, a market leader in plant-based hamburgers in Brazil, and Planterra, which operates the OZO brand in the United States.
Gilberto Tomazoni, global CEO, JBS, called the acquisition "an important step to strengthen our global plant-based protein platform."
Tomazoni added that Vivera "will give JBS a stronghold in the plant-based sector, with technological knowledge and capacity for innovation.”
Vivera
The protein producer plans to manage Vivera as a standalone business unit with its current leadership team to remain in place.
Willem van Weede, CEO, Vivera, said “joining forces with JBS gives us access to significant resources and capabilities to accelerate our current strong growth trajectory and Vivera brand expansion."
The deal was approved by the group's board of directors and will be concluded after approval by antitrust authorities.
With a global platform and a wide variety of products (poultry, pork, beef, and lamb), former Moy Park owner JBS employs 245,000 workers in production units and offices on all continents, in countries like Brazil, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and China, among others.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more A-Brands news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
