EW Group to acquire Spanish berry breeder Planasa

EW Group, a German based strategic family Holding has signed an agreement for the takeover of Planasa Group, from international private equity firm Cinven and the Spanish family office, Label Investments.

Planasa is a breeder and propagator of next-generation berry varieties, including blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, as well as other plant varieties such as garlic, asparagus, and avocado.

The company is headquartered in Navarra, Spain and has breeding and nursery operations in several locations, supplying customers in more than 25 countries. Dirk Wesjohann, EW Group states: ″The acquisition of Planasa will be a milestone for our family group, as it allows us to strategically expand our breeding activities into the area of plant breeding. EW Group has been looking for such an opportunity for years. We are convinced that Planasa, with its leading innovative genetic varieties, its highly qualified and dedicated management team and its unique global footprint is the ideal platform for EW Group`s expansion into fruit and vegetable breeding.″

His brother, Jan Wesjohann adds: ″The global berry market is one of the fastest growing segments in the fruit and vegetable space. Our family is delighted that with Planasa, we will have an opportunity to enter this attractive market segment. We are committed to contributing to the sustainable growth of the global berry and vegetable industries by supporting strong investment into Planasa`s breeding and nursery capabilities.″

Thilo Sautter, Partner at Cinven, said: ″Cinven has successfully driven strong growth at Planasa by investing in the core business, expanding globally, significantly growing R&D and attracting a first-class management team. We have worked with management to transform Planasa from a founder-led business to a leading global agri-tech operator. We are very proud of the success that Planasa has achieved. Planasa is well-positioned to maintain its positive trajectory and we wish the company success in its next stage of growth.″

Planasa`s CEO, Michael Brinkmann comments: ″The Planasa Management team is delighted to become part of the EW Group. To be associated with an esteemed long-term oriented family group that has an outstanding track record of developing leaders in the global genetics space, through strong investment in R&D, is excellent news for Planasa`s customers, partners and employees. We look forward to working closely with our new owners and are sure that this partnership will enable us to achieve Planasa`s breeding activities to an even higher level. Please let me also use this opportunity to express my gratitude to our current shareholders, Cinven and Blue Label Capital, for their unwavering trust and support over the past years. It is thanks to their financial backing and strategic perspective that Planasa has developed into position it holds today.″