Nexture S.p.A., a global integrated group specializing in the development and manufacturing of high-quality food ingredients and value-added solutions, and held by an independently managed investment company of Investindustrial VII L.P., has signed an agreement to acquire La Crema, a Dubai-based manufacturer of chocolate and value-added food ingredients for a variety of end-applications, including ice cream, bakery, and fine pastry.
The acquisition, once completed, will allow Nexture to establish its first manufacturing presence in the Middle East and significantly enhance its commercial foothold in a strategically important growth region, thanks to direct access to a large and growing ingredients industry. Furthermore, it will broaden Nexture’s offering of value-added solutions, expanding the portfolio with a more extensive range of chocolate products, such as cream fillings, bars, chips and buttons, as well as other cream fillings, ice cream solutions, ready-mix powders and fruit fillings.
After completion of the acquisition, the Group’s industrial footprint will expand from 8 factories at entry in 2021 to 30 factories worldwide, including 2 in North America, 4 in Africa, 1 in the Middle East, 1 in Asia, and the remaining 22 across 8 European countries. In parallel, the workforce will reach over 2,900 employees.
Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, La Crema was founded by Bilal Khalife in 2016 as a trading business serving the HoReCa segment, and expanded into in-house manufacturing in 2018, combining production with a distribution network spanning wholesalers, distributors and retailers. Its established presence in Dubai provides Nexture with an attractive platform from which to serve customers across the Middle East and pursue further growth in the region. La Crema today offers a diversified portfolio including chocolate sauces and cream fillings, chocolate bars, chocolate chips and buttons assorted chocolates, ice cream solutions, ready-mix powders and fruit fillings, commercialized either under the brand La Crema or through private labels. La Crema’s manufacturing facility is based in Dubai and its workforce includes approximately 170 employees in production, operations, and sales & marketing.
