Agromousquetaires, the French food conglomerate Groupement Les Mousquetaires, has announced that it is in exclusive negotiation with Hivest Capital Partners to acquire the shares of St Mamet, French specialist in fruit processing.
Created in 1953, St Mamet has now become a renowned expert of the fruit sector. In its facilities of Vauvert (Gard), the company processes more than 35,000 tons of fruit each year. St Mamet, whose social headquarters is located in Nîmes (Gard), has a revenue of approximately 65 million euros [68.30 million USD]. It has nearly 150 permanent employees and more than 200 seasonal workers at the height of the season.
Agromousquetaires wants to create a center of excellence for fruit at the site in Vauvert by committing to 150 fruit growers in the southeast of France, in order to reinforce and develop the existing relations and support the agricultural transition of the fruit growing sector.
The group plans to invest in industrial and commercial innovations to strengthen the competitiveness of the unique industrial site and to maintain and relocate in France some manufacturing operations currently outsourced to Europe.
The complementarity with the other Mousquetaires factories, especially Delvert (Corrèze) which specializes in the production of compotes and jams, will also help the company expand and enrich its range of products.
For Didier Duhaupand, president of Groupement Les Mousquetaires, “this project to acquire St Mamet shows the desire of Groupement Les Mousquetaires to reinforce its manufacturing capacities in order to better serve our stores, our brands and other partners of Agromousquetaires.” Jean-Baptiste Saria, president of Agromousquetaires, claims that “it also shows a determined commitment to agricultural transition and the will to accelerate the shift towards plant-based industries, in partnership with French producers.”
“We are pleased with the progress made in recent years alongside the teams of St Mamet, both in terms of industrial development and revitalization of the brand,” explains Cédric Lépée, managing partner at Hivest Capital Partners. “This project between St Mamet and Agromousquetaires will help the company enter a new stage of its development. By relying on the strengths of the company, especially its close connection with the French fruit growing sector, the project has all the assets to allow St Mamet to further reveal all its potential. It is a wonderful project for the company and its employees, as well as the entire sector.”
For Stéphane Lehoux, chairman and CEO of St Mamet, “the project is a great opportunity for St Mamet, a long-term project, committing in terms of investment on a growing market. The arrival of Agromousquetaires brings new assets that are essential for the growth of our industry and the entire fruit growing sector of Occitania. It is an excellent project for the company, its employees and the entire sector.”
For more information:
mousquetaires.com