Besana’s merger with Importaco

We have advised the shareholders of the Besana group on the sale of 51% of the group to International Food and Beverage company, Importaco S.A.  

Founded in 1921, Naples-based Besana is highly regarded in Europe for the marketing, innovation and production of nuts, dried fruit and seeds. Over the last century, the company has grown consistently by expanding its product range, enlarging its geographic reach across continents and widening its customer base.

The sale to Importaco, which exchanged in July and completed on 2 September, will further strengthen Besana’s international presence and specialisation as a manufacturer and supplier of high-quality food products, whilst also consolidating their position in this space.  Both family-owned businesses, Besana and Importaco, will bring together more than a hundred years’ industry experience. 

Pino Calcagni, honorary president of Besana commented: “The team at Gateley were highly efficient and worked really hard to ensure this transaction ran smoothly and successfully. It was reassuring to have their support and legal advice throughout this significant time of change for our business. 

I’m pleased to say that our family will remain at the heart of the leadership team at the newly emerged group. At Besana, Riccardo Calcagni will continue as chief executive officer, and I will be Honorary President. We would like to thank the whole team at Gateley Legal for all their hard work, commercially orientated advice and dedication.”

Steven Raize said: “Having worked with Pino and Besana for a number of years we were really pleased to have advised the shareholders on this transaction and reach agreement on this merger notwithstanding the disruption caused by COVID-19. This is an important strategic move for Besana – integrating the skills, experience and knowledge of these two companies will really help to leverage their internationalisation, and we very much look forward to following their future success.”