Nutreco expands presence in Brazil with 'bolt on' buys
In line with its strategy to expand into growth geographies, Nutreco said it has bought Fatec, a producer of premixes and animal health products for broilers, layers, swine and dairy cows, and BRNova, a producer of premixes and feed specialties, mainly for poultry and swine.
“It will be quite easy for Nutreco to generate value out of these purchases. It can really leverage its R&D expertise and significant purchasing power to capitalize on these 'bolt on' acquisitions, which expand its range and build on its presence in Brazil,” Maarten Bakker, equity analyst at ABN AMRO, told us.
Brazil is the third largest animal nutrition market in the world, with annual growth of 4% to 5% in that segment.
Following the acquisition of Fatec and BRNova the total pro forma annualized 2014 revenues of Nutreco Brazil is expected to hit the €185 million ($230m) mark.
Premixes, animal health and probiotics
Nutreco says the deals give it greater access to the southern, central and mid-western states of Brazil, will serve to boost its presence in the markets for layers, broilers and pigs, and will strengthen its portfolio through the addition of premixes, animal health products and feed specialties including probiotics.
“Probiotics are relatively new for Nutreco. Volumes are relatively small but have potential,” a spokesperson for the Dutch feed giant told this publication.
And he said the acquisitions would also enable the company introduce its global brands to the Brazilian market.
He would not confirm the financial details of both transactions nor reveal any growth projections for the two Brazilian companies. “We don’t make any forward looking statements regarding these acquisitions,” said the spokesperson.
Fatec is headquartered in Arujá, São Paulo state and sells approximately 20,000 MT of feed and animal health products per year, with revenues this year expected to be around €50m.
BRNova, headquartered near Campinas in São Paulo state, was only established in 2012 and sells aroundy 15,000 MT of premixes and feed specialties annually. Its income this year is projected to reach around €25m.
Nutreco’s existing businesses in Brazil include Bellman, which makes mineral supplements for ruminants and FriRibe, a premix and feed specialties producer targeting the ruminant, swine, poultry and aquaculture sectors.
State of play on offers for Nutreco
Meanwhile, in terms of the ongoing acquisition process for Nutreco initiated by an offer from Dutch investment firm SHV in October, ABN AMRO’s Bakker said:
“It would seem like its full steam ahead for SHV in its bid to secure all of Nutreco’s shares and give the least possible chance for any other parties to enter into the race.
However the door is still open. The tender period lasts eight weeks from when SHV finalizes its offer. This is a rare opportunity to snatch Nutreco so I would be surprised if there were no other offers made in that time.
And Nutreco management reported last week that Cargill was still evaluating the situation. So it is highly speculative for the moment.”
