Valeo Foods Group buys Italian panettone maker Melegatti 1894

Valeo Foods Group has announced another acquisition, snapping up Melegatti 1894, an Italian producer of panettone, pandoro, and croissants, Just Food reports.

The financial terms of the transaction, struck with Melegatti 1894’s owners the Spezzapria family, were not disclosed.

Dublin-based Valeo Foods Group said the deal is in line with its strategy to “expand its baked sweet treats portfolio”, enabling it to offer “authentic Italian confections and established regional brands to a wider international audience”.

Founded in 1894 by Domenico Melegatti, who is said to have created and patented the original pandoro that same year, Melegatti 1894 has production facilities in San Giovanni Lupatoto and San Martino Buon Albergo, both in Verona.

The Spezzapria family bought the company from bankruptcy trustees for €13.5m (then $15.6m) in 2018.

The acquisition is the second Valeo Foods Group has announced in Italy in a matter of weeks.

In May, the company expanded its Italian presence by acquiring Freddi Dolciaria, a business known for pre-packaged sponge cakes and Swiss rolls. In 2024, it purchased Italian bakery Dal Colle.

Ronald Kers, the CEO of Valeo Foods Group, said the move for Melegatti 1894 will bolster the company’s “presence in south-west Europe and open new avenues for growth across our global network”.

Backed by Bain Capital, Valeo Foods Group owns brands including Balconi cakes, Pedro confectionery and Kettle Chips. The company, which generates revenues exceeding €1.8bn (now $2.12bn), employs nearly 6,000 people across 30 facilities in the UK, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

Roberto Spezzapria, the president of Melegatti 1894, said: “Following the successful relaunch of the historic Melegatti brand in the Italian market, we are proud to entrust its future to the experience and expertise of Valeo Foods Group.

“We are confident that Valeo Foods will guide the brand into its next phase of international growth, while further strengthening its value and honouring its deep roots in Italian culture.”