Cheese group Bel, known for its La Vache qui rit, Kiri and Boursin brands, wants to acquire a majority stake in MOM, which owns brands like Mont Blanc and French Materne, which incidentally is an entirely separate item from the Belgian jam manufacturer.
Global healthy snack player
Bel has already entered exclusive negotiations with private equity firm LBO France, which has a majority stake in Groupe MOM. All other shares are owned by MOM’s management, which would keep its minority stake after the acquisition.
French Materne was founded by the same person who founded the Belgian Materne company, but both companies have followed their own path for years. The Belgian branch has been part of the French Groupe Andros since 1990, while the French Materne has been with MOM since 2006 and has specialized in fruit compote preparations.
MOM hopes this acquisition can help it become a global healthy snack player and hopes the acquisition will be finalized before the end of the year.
