Bühler Group has sold its flour ingredient business to Bakels Group

December 2019 — Bühler Group has divested its flour ingredient business to Bakels. 100% of the shares of China-based Buhler Bangsheng Food Ingredients (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd. have been signed over to Bakels Group and all employees are moving to the new owner. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the selling price.

Buhler Bangsheng Food Ingredients (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd manufactures and distributes innovative bakery ingredients and application solutions. Products include flour improvers as well as baking ingredients. The company is located in Guangzhou in Southern China.

Every day, billions of people use Bühler technologies and solutions to satisfy their basic food, mobility and communication needs. In 2018, over 13,000 employees generated a turnover of US$3.4 billion. Bühler is a Swiss family-owned company active in 140 countries around the world and has a global network of 30 production sites. Bühler has been active in the flour ingredient business since 2010. The company gained great expertise and excellent customer relations. The business has been profitable over the last few years, focusing mainly on the Chinese market. Bühler’s strategic direction sees process solutions and customer services at its core, which is why they decided to divest the ingredients business to a strategic partner who is better suited to unleash the full global potential of the business.

Bakels is a Swiss enterprise with more than 2,750 employees worldwide. Its main focus is on ingredients for bakery and confectionery shops, where it is one of the leading companies in the market. Bakels supports its customers' development and sales by presenting concepts and ingredients which bakers use to increase their sales and improve quality and efficiency.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins’ team in Switzerland acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Buhler Group during the entire sale process. This included the preparation of marketing materials, identification and approach of potential buyers, due diligence, negotiations with potential buyers and assistance until signing and closing. The team in Shanghai conducted the management meetings and provided support for all China-related topics.