Holon Consultants successfully closed the first transaction in 2011. Acting in the interest of our customers, owners Agrico S.A. the producer of fruit-concentrates particularly from apples, strawberries, chokeberries, raspberries, the black-currant or cherry, we finalized the process of acquiring the investor for the company. The investor is the Austrian magnate in the fruit processing and fruit juice production - Rauch Fruchtsaefte GmbH & What OG. The transaction was concluded through the acquisition of 100% of existing shares of the company. The transaction value was not revealed.

Thanks to the investment of Rauch the company will increase production capability and will extend the range of its products. Currently Agrico operates two state-of-the-art production plants in Płońsk and Kluczkowice and owns the cold storages of concentrates in Łęczyca. Agrico’s competitive edge is the most modern machinery in Poland - technological lines for the production of concentrates as well as the proximity of the raw material base. Poland is the Europe’s largest and one of largest in the world producer of apple concentrate and the meaningful producer of strawberry, cherry and chokeberry concentrates.

Holon Consultants acted as the advisers to the Company in process of assessment of the business strategy and as the adviser to the shareholders of Agrico in the investment process, which included the preparation of the offer, identification of investors, transaction structuring and execution

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The Company

AGRICO S.A. was set up in 1997. Throughout 10 years since its foundation, the company has managed to work out the unique production technology of aronia juice concentrate as well as other berry fruit concentrates, which have been well recognized on both - domestic and foreign markets.
As a leader of fruit juice concentrates in Poland, AGRICO S.A. invests in product quality development by constant improvement of the production lines in facilities located in Kluczkowice and Płońsk as well as by continuous R&D.

The company offers wide assortment of products ranging from concentrates of apple, aronia, strawberry, sour cherry, black currant and raspberry to natural aromas of those fruits. We are able to supply the customers with concentrates all year long as we own cold store with a big storage capacity located at our head office in Łęczyca.

Most of the concentrate production is exported, mainly to Western Europe, North America and Far East. The minor part of the production is sold on the Polish Market.

The Investor

The start of the family enterprise dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Franz Josef Rauch founded the headquarter of the Rauch Fruit Juices limited company in Rankweil, in the territory of Vorarlberg, Austria, which was a small commission cidery for the farmers of the surrounding area.
Today, with a turnover of 675 million Euros in the year 2010, the Rauch Group is the biggest producer of fruit juices and tea beverages in Austria by far and plays a determining role internationally as well. Rauch currently employs more than 1300 persons and exports to more than 90 countries worldwide. The exports accounting for more than 58% demonstrate its position as an international company of brand-name articles.

In total, the Rauch Group occupies four strategic business fields. Besides the production and sales of the Rauch brands from HAPPY DAY to BRAVO, NATIVA and Rauch ICE T, Rauch is also firmly established in the so-called business to business area. Within this branch, Rauch carries the role of a producer and sales company for international purchasers of fruit juice concentrates and half-finished products.

A wide range of products is produced and marketed:

• Fruit juice concentrates, meaning fruit juices, partly extracted of its water content, as well as
• Fruit aromas, 100% extracted from juice of freshly pressed fruits, and
• Directly-pressed juices of various sorts of fruits, which can be mixed as necessary, and also
• Fruit puree/pulp of fruit (e.g. for jam production).

The third field concerns commissioned fillings. As a service provider, Rauch fills for other producers of beverages with the proper high-tech filling installation for cans, PET (plastic) and glass bottles.
The fourth and last strategic business field within the portfolio of the Rauch Group is the Fohrenburg brewery in Bludenz.