UK’s Eight Fifty Food Group acquires Carroll’s Cuisine from Carlyle Cardinal Ireland
UK – UK-headquartered Food Group Eight Fifty has bought Ireland based maker of cooked meats and convenience food Carroll’s Cuisine for an undisclosed sum.
Eight Fifty is the holding company for Karro Food Group and Young’s Seafood and is owned by private equity firm CapVest Partners.
Following the transaction Carroll’s Cuisine which is based in Ireland and employs around 300 people at its site in Tullamore, Offaly, will be integrated into Eight Fifty’s pork division.
FoodBev reported that the deal will further expand Eight Fifty’s presence in Ireland following its acquisition of pork processor M&M Walshe last year.
Following the transaction, Eight Fifty will reportedly have a workforce of around 8,300 people across 23 manufacturing sites in the UK, Ireland, Germany and France.
“Eight Fifty are guardians of strong brands across multiple proteins and so we are delighted to add the Carroll’s business to our growing group,” said Di Walker, CEO of Eight Fifty Food Group.
“Like our Young’s brand in seafood, the Carroll’s name is synonymous with quality, value-added protein products. Carroll’s will be a great addition to our business.”
Jason Rodrigues, partner, CapVest, added: “Carroll’s is another great European addition to our growing portfolio and creates the premier integrated platform of value-added pork products in Ireland.”
The transaction is subject to standard closing conditions and approval from the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
In 2019, Karro Food Group reached an agreement to acquire Young’s in a move by its owner CapVest to establish a multi-protein food group.
A year later, in October, the UK food group announced that it had acquired Hamburg-based sea food company Alisa International for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition was preceded by the acquisition of Irish process and multi-channel supplier of gammon, bacon, and sous-vide meat products M&M Walshe Holdings Limited.
At the time, Eight Fifty noted that the acquisitions were made in an effort to expand the group’s multi-protein platform and to bolster the company’s position in mainland Europe.
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