Alto Partners buys La Suissa

As part of the deal, Alto acquired an 80% stake in the business from the existing shareholders, the Piella family and the company's CEO Carlo Luigi Taccin, which retained the remaining 20% stake.

According to a statement, the company will use the fresh capital to maintain constant prices despite the volatile trend in the cost of raw materials, as well as to bolster its expansion internationally. At the same time, the business is keen on boosting the consumption of its products among customers who pay more attention to nutritional values.

Italian lender UBI Banca provided an all-senior debt facility to support the transaction.

Company
Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Arquata Scrivia, La Suissa manufactures and distributes confectionery products, focusing on chocolate pralines.

In 2014, the company posted a turnover of €14.4m with a 20% EBITDA margin. According to the company's figures, it generates 40% of its revenues abroad and employs 36 people.

People
Alto Partners – Marco Pellegrino (director); Ilenia Corbelli (investment manager).
La Suissa – Gian Carlo Piella, Fabio Piella (co-founders); Carlo Luigi Taccin (CEO).

Advisers
Equity – Athena Audit (financial due diligence, tax); Goetz Partners (commercial due diligence); Pedersoli Studio Legale (legal); Rutigliano Tiezzi Zucca & Associate (legal, tax); Sopabroker (insurance due diligence).
Vendor – Studio Coggiola (legal, commercial due diligence); Palladio Corporate Finance (M&A).
Debt – Simmons & Simmons (legal).

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• Topics
• Buyouts
• Consumer
• Southern Europe
• Italy
• Alto Partners