Global Icecream Investments, an independently managed investment subsidiary of Investindustrial, is set to acquire Grupo Alacant.
Founded in 1972 by 35 ice cream makers and headquartered in Alicante (Spain), Grupo Alacant is an independent ice cream manufacturer focused predominantly on private label ice cream for modern retail clients and on co-manufacturing for leading branded ice cream players.
The company produces and commercialises a wide range of products (e.g., bulk, tubs, cones, extrusion sticks, sandwiches, etc.) and generated approximately €225 million of revenue in 2024. The business has four manufacturing plants (one in Alicante, one in Murcia and two in Madrid) and employs approximately 850 people.
The acquisition of Grupo Alacant comes at a pivotal moment, as the company aims to continue serving its key customers in Spain and further reinforce its industrial footprint and plant productivity through significant investments, while accelerating its internationalisation strategy, both organically and inorganically, to become one of Europe’s leading independent private label ice cream players.
Grupo Alacant will capitalise on Investindustrial’s deep sector knowledge in the food category, with past investments such as Natra and a current portfolio of investments that generate aggregated sales of approximately €8bn in private label, ingredients and frozen bakery among others, including companies such as Sammontana / Forno d’Asolo, Amalfi (La Doria / Winland Foods), CSM Ingredients and Eataly.
Andrea C. Bonomi, Chairman of the Investindustrial Industrial Advisory Board, said: “Grupo Alacant operates in an industry very well-known to Investindustrial due to our prior and current investments in the private label food category.
“We are proud to invest in Grupo Alacant since we believe we can help the Company in its next phase of development as it looks to strengthen its position in Spain and expand beyond its home market.
“Grupo Alacant is well-positioned for success driven by the support of our international development offices and the expertise of our operational improvement team.”
Joaquin Lancis, CEO of Grupo Alacant, said: “We are very excited to partner with Investindustrial as we look to further reinforce our position with our key customers and to grow the Company further outside of Spain.
“Given Investindustrial’s track record and deep knowledge of the private label food category, we strongly believe it is the right shareholder to further support Grupo Alacant while strengthening the operational footprint.
“We are confident that Investindustrial’s experience and contribution will allow Grupo Alacant to become a leading player in the European market. We look forward to a successful partnership.”