Nactis Flavours Buys Belgian Firm Robertet Savoury

07 Jan 2015 --- Nactis Flavours, an expert in aromatic raw materials, ingredients and flavours, has just completed a strategic operation to acquire Robertet Savoury, the Belgian subsidiary of the Robertet Group, the Grasse region's leading fragrance and flavours company.

With this seventh acquisition since 2001, Nactis Flavours will enhance its solutions with a range of plant-based savoury aromatic raw materials, while further strengthening its portfolio of industrial clients, opening up to new regions.

In early November 2014, Nactis Flavours raised €10 million from MML Capital, which now has a 20% stake in its capital alongside its founder, Hervé Lecesne (75%), and the management team (5%).

Based out of Schoten, near Antwerp, Robertet Savoury is specialised in transformation flavours (Maillard flavours) and hydrolysed vegetable proteins (HVPs) intended primarily for the soup and stock, sauce, condiment, seasoning and ready meal industries.

Strongly involved in developing value-added solutions for the plant industry (soya, wheat, corn, etc.), the company is working on various biotech developments, including an original enzyme hydrolysis process. It has efficient industrial capabilities specialised in hydrolysis, drying, reaction processes and powdered aromatics.

Robertet Savoury sells its products in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Northern European countries, Spain, Italy and sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Senegal).

The company, which employs 54 people, had revenues of €14 million in 2014.

“Thanks to the strong presence built up by Nactis Flavours on French and international markets for ready meals, seasonings and aromatics, we will be immediately implementing the synergies that will enable us to strongly develop our new subsidiary’s business”, explains Daniel Faguer, CEO of Nactis Flavours.

Daniel Faguer, previously Malteurop Group CEO, has just joined Nactis Flavours with a mission to ramp up its international development. He has been appointed Chairman of Robertet Savoury, which will be changing its name to Nactis Benelux.

“The acquisition of Robertet Savoury, which we had been looking into since 2009, was finally made possible when our new financial partner MML Capital came on board in November 2014, in line with our plans to resume an external growth strategy that will now have an international focus. This seventh acquisition, the first outside of France, will enable us to take a major step forward towards achieving our goal to double our business over the next three to five years by generating more than 50% of our revenues internationally”, concludes Hervé Lecesne, founder, Chairman and CEO of Nactis Flavours.