Mészáros Group’s next step in the poultry industry: full control over Gallicoop

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 01. 30. 11:51

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On January 27, an interesting document was published on the website of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH), reporting on a significant corporate transaction. According to the announcement, Csabatáj Mezőgazdasági Zrt., a member of the Mészáros Group, acquired sole control over the poultry farms of Gallicoop Tulykafeldolgozó Zrt. and Gallfarms Kft. These farms are engaged in turkey hatching, raising and fattening – we learn from the article on mfor.hu.

At first glance, it may seem like a normal business transaction when an agricultural company acquires another industry player. However, in this case, both the seller and the buyer are close to Lőrinc Mészáros, which creates a unique situation. This raises the question: if the ultimate ownership remains unchanged, why is the GVH notification necessary? The ownership restructuring between the interests of the Felcsút entrepreneur is unlikely to have a significant distortive effect on competition, so the real significance of the transaction is more related to the structural changes within the group of companies.

Gallicoop Turkey Processing Co. Ltd. was founded in 1989 in Szarvas and has since become one of the country’s leading players in the poultry industry. The company’s main profile is the production and processing of turkey products, including breaded turkey meatballs, turkey breasts, and stuffed turkey products. The company currently produces more than 8,500 tons of finished products per year and also operates a significant breading plant.

Gallicoop’s ownership background was not entirely clear for a long time, but in 2020 it was acquired by Hungarian private equity funds – Takarék, Béta and Status Food. These funds can be linked to Mészáros Lőrinc through Status Capital Zrt., so Gallicoop is also indirectly part of the billionaire’s circle of interests. Although the company officially operated with a minority ownership structure, after the current deal, full control clearly fell into the hands of the Mészáros Group.