Ladco Group sold to Probat Group

Ladco Group, a manufacturer of specialist machinery for cocoa and chocolate production, has been acquired by Probat Group, a German manufacturing and technology group, specialising in cocoa/coffee roasting and processing. BCMS advised the Ladco Group on the transaction, which completed in 2013.

Ladco Group is based in Arbroath, Scotland and Dresden, Germany. The business’ brands MacIntyre, Petzholdt-Heidenauer and Beetz are synonymous with high-quality machinery and equipment for the global cocoa and chocolate industry.

“BCMS generated a lot more interest than I expected… we simply couldn’t believe the response” – Stuart Anderson, Ladco Group

Ladco’s synergies with Probat Group’s Probat Werke and Bauermeister divisions are clear. “With this acquisition, the Probat Group continues the expansion into an additional field of [food processing] technologies,” said Wim Abbing, President and CEO of the Probat Group. “The capability of the group to offer one-stop shop solutions for complete cocoa bean processing and chocolate production lines will be second to none, as the group will design and manufacture all process-relevant equipment.”

Stuart Anderson, founder shareholder and Director of Ladco Group, explained the value added by BCMS to the transaction: “The BCMS team were excellent and they pulled things together very quickly. I’d worked hard to build the company up over the years and when it came time to sell, I had no idea what the interest might be. BCMS generated a lot more interest than I expected, and that pleased me a lot.

“I was very impressed with the way the sale was handled by BCMS, and we certainly could not have done it ourselves. Talking to my wife post-sale, we both felt very lucky that we chose BCMS. The team brought us enquiries from companies we really weren’t expecting – we simply couldn’t believe the great response BCMS got.”