The Catalan company Casa Tarradellas has completed the purchase of all of Herta Foods by acquiring the 40% stake that remained in Nestlé's hands. With this move, the family group now controls 100% of the capital of the French company specializing in charcuterie and meat products.
The transaction, whose The financial amount has not been made public.This marks the end of a nearly six-year period of shareholder collaboration with the Swiss multinational. From now on, Herta will operate fully integrated within the Casa Tarradellas structure, without the joint venture arrangement that had been in place until now.
End of the joint venture between Casa Tarradellas and Nestlé
The operation involves to definitively close the joint venture created in 2019When Casa Tarradellas acquired a 60% stake in Herta Foods, which until then had been a subsidiary of Nestlé, that initial purchase was valued at around 414 million euros, according to reports at the time.
Since then, both companies have shared the management of one of the leading brands in refrigerated deli in Western EuropeWith a strong presence in countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, Herta has maintained a prominent position in segments such as cooked ham, frankfurters, sliced meats, and other ready-to-eat products during this joint venture.
With the purchase of the remaining 40%, Nestlé completes his exit from the delicatessen business and is completely disassociating itself from Herta Foods. The multinational had already placed this division under "strategic review," considering that it did not fit with its commitment to healthier nutrition and plant-based alternatives.
For Casa Tarradellas, on the other hand, the alliance with Nestlé has functioned as a transitional stage that has allowed it to strengthen its presence outside of Spain and to learn firsthand about the workings of a brand with a long history in the European market for chilled meat products.
A key step in the international expansion of the Catalan group
The acquisition of 100% of Herta represents a significant leap in Casa Tarradellas' internationalization strategyThe initial entry in 2019 was already interpreted as the group's first major move to gain scale in Europe beyond its traditional categories in the Spanish market.
Herta has a highly diversified product portfolio, what includes precooked sausagesSliced deli meats, chilled meat snacks, and baking dough. This offering complements Casa Tarradellas's long-standing business lines, known in Spain for its chilled pizzas, fresh dough, fuet sausage, pâtés, cooked ham, and other processed meat products.
By fully integrating Herta, the Gurb-based group gains industrial and commercial scale in the heart of Europe, enabling it to strengthen its ability to compete in a highly concentrated market and with major international operators. The deal should also facilitate the coordination of launches, innovations, and brand strategies in the various countries where Herta already operates.
Furthermore, absolute control of the capital eliminates the logical limitations of a joint venture, so that Casa Tarradellas will be able to to make investment, positioning, and product development decisions with greater agility, without needing to reach an agreement with an external partner.
Casa Tarradellas' results and Herta's weight in the business
The movement occurs in a context of sustained growth for Casa TarradellasThe agri-food group closed the 2024 financial year with a turnover of 1.501 billion euros, which represented an increase of nearly 9% compared to the previous year.
It is relevant that These figures do not yet include the contribution of Herta Foodswhose results are consolidated separately. In 2023, the company had already recorded a strong increase in its profits, driven in part by international expansion and the consolidation of its main lines of business in Spain.
Casa Tarradellas maintains a close relationship with the local agricultural and livestock sector through agreements with some 250 farmers from different Spanish communities, primarily in Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre and Castile-La Mancha. These agreements guarantee the supply of raw materials for their ranges of pizzas, fresh dough and meat products.
Regarding employment, the group reached a workforce of 3.158 employees by the end of 2024This represents an increase of approximately 7% compared to the previous year. The strengthening of the team is a response to both the evolution of the business in Spain and the development of new production lines, as well as the progressive integration of activities linked to Herta.
Nestlé's strategy and portfolio reorganization
For Nestlé, the sale of the remaining 40% of Herta Foods is part of a strategic plan. a broader process of reviewing its portfolio on a global scaleThe Swiss company has reiterated its intention to concentrate on categories with greater growth prospects, linked to healthy nutrition, baby food, coffee and plant-based products, among other segments.
In recent years, the multinational has indicated that its delicatessen business did not quite fit into this new roadmap, which is why it decided explore alternatives, first with the creation of the joint venture with Casa Tarradellas and, finally, with its complete exit from Herta's shareholding.
Within this strategy, Nestlé maintains Other divisions under analysis include bottled water and vitamins and supplements.These are areas where it does not rule out divestments, partial sales, or collaboration agreements with third parties. The group's management has made it clear that it will prioritize businesses that best align with its medium- and long-term growth and profitability objectives.
The withdrawal of the delicatessen segment in Europe, with the final sale of Herta, is thus interpreted as a step consistent with the desire to simplify its structure and concentrate resources in categories considered strategic by the company.
Family governance and shareholding structure of Casa Tarradellas
Meanwhile, Casa Tarradellas continues to operate as family-owned company based in Gurb (Barcelona)The group was founded by Josep Tarradellas Arcarons, who continues to serve as president at 75 years old, and maintains a discreet profile despite his weight in the Spanish food sector.
In the corporate sphere, the heirs have taken steps to organize and group their business holdingsAt the beginning of the year, the siblings Anna, Josep and Núria Terradellas Falgueras established the asset management company Terfal 2024 SL, with the aim of jointly managing their portfolio of shares and financial assets linked to the group.
Until the creation of this heritage, the brothers They did not share the same asset management company, although they were all part of the board of directors of Casa Tarradellas and held different management responsibilities within the company.
This shareholding reorganization is interpreted as a move aimed at to ensure the continuity of the long-term business project to facilitate generational transfer, in a context in which the company is strengthening its international dimension with operations such as the total takeover of Herta Foods.
The purchase of the remaining 40% of Herta from Nestlé strengthens Casa Tarradellas' position as one of the key players in the delicatessen and chilled meat products sector in Europe, while it fits with the group's desire to continue growing from a family business structure with strong territorial roots.
