Unigrains' Fondo Agroalimentare Italiano backs Sinfo One

Fondo Agroalimentare Italiano bought its stake from the company founders, the Pomi family, who retained the majority holding and will continue to lead the business.

Germany-based meat producer Tönnies also bought a minority stake in the company and will benefit from Sinfo One's technology expertise to boost its growth and innovation, according to a statement.

A debt package to finance the transaction was provided by Crédit Agricole Cariparma and ICCREA Banca.

Fondo Agroalimentare Italiano I, which held a €40m first close in June, is managed by a team based in Milan and led by director Francesco Orazi. The vehicle acquires minority stakes in Italian SMEs operating in the agri-food sector and generating revenues between €10-150m. The fund inherited two portfolio companies acquired by Unigrains in Italy in 2016 and 2017, Trasporti Romagna and Sfoglia Torino, and has recently bought a minority stake in Italian chestnuts and frozen fruit producer Agrimola.

The company will use the fresh capital to accelerate its international growth, expand its commercial offering to new segments in the food and supply industry, and further consolidate its market position.

Company
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Parma, Sinfo One provides enterprise resource planning, business intelligence and enterprise performance management to the manufacturing and distribution industries. It generated revenues of €17.5m in 2017, of which 25% came from outside Italy.

People
Fondo Agroalimentare Italiano – Francesco Orazi (director).
Sinfo One – Paola Pomi (CEO).
Tönnies – Christian Kreuter (CEO).

Advisers
Acquirers – Dentons (legal); PwC TLS Avvocati e Commercialisti (legal); New Deal Advisor (corporate finance); Studio Pirola (tax).
Vendor – Studio Gatti e Associati (legal, tax); PWC Advisory (corporate finance).

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• Dentons
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