Abac Capital has taken control of Iber Conseil, a distributor of cheese, yoghurt and charcuterie products born in Barcelona in 1986.
The fund manager, led by Oriol Pinya, has taken more than 75% of the capital while the rest of the property has remained in the hands of the founders –Laurent Cazorla and Maryse Mary– and the management team. The operation, whose price is confidential, has been channeled through the Abac SV Fund II vehicle and has been communicated this week to the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC).
From now on, Iber Conseil will open a new stage under the control of the venture capital manager, who has decided to keep the same general manager, Christophe Roux, in charge of the business and keep all the members of the staff. "We intend to increase hiring, accelerate the growth of the company in the local market and boost sales in other European countries," says Pinya, who is also the president of SpainCap, the association of the Spanish venture capital sector.
The investor assures that the business is going from strength to strength. And the results published in the Mercantile Registry corroborate it. In 2021 (last year available) the company billed 64.8 million euros and obtained a net profit of 4.3 million with a workforce of 30 workers. Last year, the business continued to expand until it had a turnover of around 80 million euros, representing growth of approximately 23%. Going forward, Pinya expects to maintain or even increase growth rates. "Iber Conseil has the power to gain ground in a sector that is highly fragmented by small companies," explains the investor.
Since 1986, the company has been in charge of importing and distributing specialty dairy products from various European countries, such as Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom. It works with 125 suppliers, represents 240 brands and has a catalog of around 1,200 references, including cheeses made by small local producers.
The company markets the products to catering companies as well as large supermarkets and small specialty stores.
