Uría guides EQT´s €130m acquisition of Secna

Uría Menéndez has advised Sweden´s EQT on its acquisition of Secna Natural Ingredients Group for €130 million

Chr. Hansen Natural Colors, a world-leading provider of natural colours with a wide portfolio in the industry, has announced plans to continue its strong growth acceleration with the integration of SECNA Natural Ingredients Group S.L into its portfolio, acquired from Venture Capital fund Corpfin. The deal has an equity value of €130 million.

This is the first add-on investment since being acquired by Private Equity firm EQT, and it significantly strengthens Chr. Hansen Natural Colors position by giving it access to Secna Groups’ strong pigment portfolio, which notably includes anthocyanins from black carrots and grape, and caramel.

“We’re committed to continuing to find new ways to harness and share the power of nature’s true colours. This is the first of many exciting milestones for us as a standalone company. We look to enhance our value proposition and strengthen our operational platform together with the team at Secna at a time when demand for naturally sourced colours is increasing,” said Odd Erik Hansen, CEO, Chr. Hansen Natural Colors.

For Secna Group CEO, Gabriel Muñoz, this partnership is the ideal opportunity to join forces with a like-minded established industry leader. “It’s a win-win situation as Chr. Hansen Natural Colors will add our strong pigment offerings in anthocyanins and caramel to their collection while providing our valued customers and suppliers with access to their portfolio, technologies and market reach, which is the most extensive in the industry.”

“The combination of our colour platforms puts us in a prime position to better serve the market and our customers, and we’re looking forward to welcoming Secna Groups’ 100 employees to the Chr. Hansen Natural Colors team” said Klaus Bjerrum, COO, Chr. Hansen Natural Colors.

The Secna group is a holding of several companies, with a presence in Spain, Italy and Turkey.

Uría Menéndez advised EQT with a Madrid office M&A-Private Equity team led by partner Christian Hoedl (pictured left), together with senior associate Clara Muñoz (pictured bottom right), junior associate Pedro Sáenz (pictured top right), and junior associate Cristina Escalona.