Sabelli and Mila – Latte Montagna Alto Adige Soc. Agr. Coop., have signed a binding agreement for the sale of Stella Bianca, a company specialized in the production of stracchino, robiola, goat's cheese, fresh spreadable cheeses and only 100% Italian milk cheeses. The closing of the operation, for which economic details have not been disclosed, is expected by June 2024.

The acquisition of Stella Bianca, which in 2022 had recorded a turnover of 51.5 million, is part of an ambitious process of expanding the group into segments adjacent to the core business.

The investment also aims to further accelerate the group's development project with an important entry into the fresh spreadable cheese division, capable of allowing Sabelli to become a point of reference on the third-party production side, and at the same time providing further space for visibility and construction of the Sabelli brand.

The turnover of the Sabelli group following the operation will be over 320 million euros with an ebitda of over 41 million euros. A note from the company specifies that "the operation also represents a great opportunity for all the collaborators and other stakeholders of both companies, by virtue of the strong complementarity and the numerous joint development opportunities in the distribution and research plans & long-term development".

“The acquisition of the Stella Bianca company is part of a broader and more ambitious process of expansion of the Sabelli Group into segments adjacent to the core business of stretched curds", commented Simone Mariani , CEO of Sabelli. "This process has seen an important acceleration in 2016, with the first major acquisition of the Trevisanalat company. Just as this has allowed the Sabelli group to become the No. 2 hub in Italy for the production of mozzarella, the Stella Bianca operation aims to make an important entry into the fresh spreadable market, gaining a leadership position on the side of third-party production, and providing further space for visibility and construction of the Sabelli brand".

For his part, Angelo Davide Galeati , CEO of Sabelli, stated: “If on the one hand the acquisition of Stella Bianca aims to consolidate the Group's reputation as a supplier of high quality products for private labels, at the same time the opportunity opens up for the Sabelli brand to gain space on an adjacent shelf, and where possible present itself as THE brand specializing in fresh produce. These shelves are in fact characterized by a strong vertical product specialization, from which brands are difficult to deviate, evolving into new categories. Sabelli, thanks to the credibility it has gained over the years first on mozzarella and then on burrata and stracciatelle, with this acquisition will aim to become the reliable reference brand for these categories too, thus expanding the scope of our "It tastes like white, it tastes good".