ITALY – Italian dairy group Sabelli has announced the acquisition of Stella Bianca, a fellow Italian dairy producer, from the Latte Montagna Alto Adige (Mila) cooperative.
While the financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed the deal is expected to be finalized next month.
According to the company’s Spokesman, on the post-acquisition, Sabelli will see its annual turnover exceed €320 million (US$346.9 million) and its EBITDA rise to over €41 million.
Currently, Sabelli’s turnover stands at €270 million. Based in Lodi, Lombardy, Stella Bianca specializes in producing a range of dairy products, including cheese, cream cheese, stracchino, robiola, caprino, and goat’s cheese.
The company markets its products under the brands Stella Bianca and Petit Suisse and supplies own-label products to Italian retailers.
Sabelli, headquartered in Ascoli Piceno in Italy’s Marche region, views the acquisition as a strategic expansion into adjacent segments of the dairy market.
The company aims to significantly boost its presence in the fresh spreadable cheese division aligning with Sabelli’s broader development strategy, which gained momentum with the acquisition of Trevisanalat, a mozzarella cheese maker, in 2016 from Italian private-equity group Alto Partners.
Simone Mariani and Angelo Galeati, joint CEOs of Sabelli, underscored the importance of this acquisition.
“The acquisition of Stella Bianca is part of an ambitious process expansion of the group into segments adjacent to the core business,” he said.
Mariani highlighted that the acquisition marks a continuation of Sabelli’s ambitious expansion strategy beyond its core business of stretched curds.
Galeati emphasized that the deal enhances Sabelli’s reputation as a high-quality private label supplier while allowing the Sabelli brand to gain a stronger foothold in the fresh produce segment.
“The acquisition of the Stella Bianca company is part of a broader and more ambitious process of expansion of the Sabelli Group into adjacent segments compared to the core business of stretched curds,” he said.
“This process saw an important acceleration in 2016 with the first major acquisition of the Trevisanalat company.”
Sabelli’s diverse product portfolio includes mozzarella, burrata, ricotta, and caciotta, under brands such as Sabelli, Natura Sincera, and Valle D’Aveto.
The acquisition is expected to strengthen Sabelli’s market position and broaden its product offerings in the competitive dairy industry.
Mila, known for supplying South Tyrolean milk, including cow’s and goat’s milk, operates two factories in Bolzano and Brunico.
The cooperative produces a variety of dairy products, such as mozzarella, yogurt, cheese, cream, and butter. Just Food has reached out to Mila for comments on the transaction and the rationale behind selling Stella Bianca.
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