CMS advised AGRANA, with an international team, on the acquisition of 100 per cent of the shares in the esarom Group. The transaction is still subject to the necessary regulatory approvals and supports AGRANA’s expansion of its activities in the Food & Beverage Solutions sector.
Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Austria, the esarom Group specialises in the development and production of bespoke flavour and beverage solutions, as well as functional formulations for the food and beverage industry. The company has a strong market presence in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.
With this planned acquisition, AGRANA is continuing its growth strategy in the Food & Beverage Solutions sector. esarom’s expertise in the areas of flavours, beverage bases and functional ingredients complements AGRANA’s existing portfolio and lays the foundation for an even broader range of bespoke solutions for the food and beverage industry.
“This transaction is an excellent example of the successful implementation of a cross-border growth strategy in a specialised market environment. We are delighted to be supporting AGRANA on this strategically significant acquisition. The transaction requires close collaboration between numerous teams across different jurisdictions and demonstrates the strength of our integrated advisory approach to delivering bespoke solutions for complex M&A projects,” says Alexander Rakosi, Partner in Corporate/M&A at CMS Austria and lead partner of the international CMS team.
The core team in Vienna also includes Marie-Christine Lidl and Felix Kasseroler. The transaction is supported by further CMS experts from Austria, Poland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine, as well as lawyers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia and Kazakhstan.
The transaction is expected to be completed at the start of the 2027/28 financial year, subject to the necessary competition law approvals.
Core team CMS Austria:
Alexander Rakosi, Lead Partner | Corporate Law/M&A
Marie-Christine Lidl, Counsel | Corporate Law/M&A
Felix Kasseroler, Associate | Corporate Law/M&A
CMS Austria team:
Alexander Sommergruber, Associate | Antitrust, Competition & Trade
Andreas Lichtenberger, Lawyer | Commercial
Clara Puczynski, Associate | Property & Construction
Clemens Macho, Lawyer | Banking & Finance
Dieter Zandler, Partner | Head of Antitrust, Competition & Trade
Hans Lederer, Partner | Intellectual Property
Jens Winter, Partner | Employment Law
Julia Ratz, Associate | Public Procurement Law
Kai Ruckelshausen, Partner | Banking & Finance
Luka Marcelja, Associate | Banking & Finance
Mariella Kapoun-Reiter, Partner | Property & Construction
Marlene Wimmer-Nistelberger, Partner | Public Commercial Law
Oliver Werner, Partner | Compliance
Yara Al-Harbi, Associate | Corporate/M&A
CMS Poland team:
Slawomir Czerwinski, Partner | Corporate/M&A
Klaudia Jaczewska, Lawyer | Corporate/M&A
Konrad Rominkiewicz, Senior Associate | Corporate/M&A
CMS United Arab Emirates team:
Dania Yassin, Associate | Corporate/M&A
Graham Conlon, Partner | Corporate/M&A
Harkee Wilson, Legal Director | Corporate/M&A
CMS Ukraine team:
Artem Kudzinovskyi, Associate | Dispute Resolution
Diana Valyeyeva, Associate | Antitrust, Competition & Trade
Maria Orlyk, Partner | Corporate/M&A
Mykhaylo Soroka, Counsel | Property
Oleksandra Prysiazhniuk, Counsel | Corporate/M&A
CMS Turkey team:
Döne Yalcin, Partner | Corporate/M&A
Zeynep Berin Manavgat, Senior Associate | Commercial
Arda Özkan, Associate | Corporate/M&A
Team Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Indir Osmić, Partner | Corporate/M&A
Stefan Ćosović, Lawyer | Corporate/M&A
Zerina Spahić, Associate | Corporate/M&A
About AGRANA
AGRANA gets more out of agricultural raw materials: as an international company, we process agricultural raw materials into high-quality solutions for food, beverages and industrial applications. Around 8,400 employees across our two business divisions, Food & Beverage Solutions and Agricultural Commodities & Specialities, generate annual consolidated turnover of around €3.2 billion at 50 production sites worldwide. Founded in 1988, AGRANA is now the global market leader in fruit preparations, the world’s leading manufacturer of apple and berry juice concentrates, and a major supplier of sugar, customised starch products and bioethanol.
