Meat giant acquires Europe’s third largest plant-based food business

Meat giant acquires Europe’s third largest plant-based food business

Brazilian meat company, JBS, the world’s largest meat company and second-largest global food producer, is to buy Europe’s third-largest plant-based food company, Vivera, in a deal reported to be €341 million.

“This acquisition is an important step to strengthen our global plant-based protein platform,” said Gilberto Tomazoni, global CEO, JBS. “Vivera will give JBS a stronghold in the plant-based sector, with technological knowledge and capacity for innovation.”

Vivera develops and produces a broad range of innovative plant-based meat replacement products for major retailers in over 25 countries across Europe, with relevant market share in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany. The deal includes three manufacturing facilities and a research and development center located in the Netherlands.

JBS reports that strong growth is expected in the plant-based category throughout global markets. The deal will add a brand to JBS’ portfolio that is well- established in consumer preference, strengthening the company’s focus on value-added products.

Vivera, currently the largest independent plant-based company in Europe, will join other JBS initiatives such as Seara’s Incrível line, a market leader in plant-based hamburgers in Brazil, and Planterra, with the Ozo brand in the United States.

JBS has over 245,000 employees in production units and offices on all continents, in countries like Brazil, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and China, amongothers. In Brazil, there are over 145,000 employees, making the company one of the country’s largest private employers.

Worldwide, JBS offers an extensive portfolio of brands recognized for excellence and innovation: Swift, Pilgrim’s Pride, Seara, Moy Park, Friboi, Primo, and Just Bare, among many others,which find their way every day onto the tables of consumers in 190 countries.

The Brazilian business plans to manage Vivera as a standalone business in line with its current leadership team to remain in place.

“Joining forces with JBS gives us access to significant resources and capabilities to accelerate our current strong growth trajectory and Vivera brand expansion,” said Willemvan Weede, CEO of Vivera.

The deal was approved by the JBS board of directors and will be concluded after approval by anti-trust authorities.

Previous / Next posts...

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *