Monaghan Mushrooms has acquired Walkro

May 2012 — Irish mushroom producer Monaghan Mushrooms, together with financial investor Gimv and Walkro’s management team, are jointly acquiring mushroom compost producer Walkro. Together they aim to become one of the largest producers of mushroom substrate in the world.

Monaghan Middlebrook Mushrooms was established in Ireland in 1981 and has grown into one of the world's leading mushroom producers, supplying a full range of fresh mushrooms to leading national and international retailers in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA. The company has approximately 2,750 employees and is active in the production of mushroom substrate, cultivation and packaging of fresh mushrooms.

Gimv N.V. is a Belgium-based investment company specialized in private equity and venture capital that focuses on buy-outs and growth financing in mid-sized enterprises in the technology, life sciences or clean-tech sectors.

Walkro International BV, based in the Netherlands and employing 230 people, is a producer of substrate for the cultivation of mushrooms. Typical Walkros clients are mushroom growers who produce industrial mushrooms for the business-to-business segment, including products such as canned mushrooms and pizza toppings.

Bencis Capital Partners is an independent private equity firm targeting medium-sized companies in the Benelux countries.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins’ team in the Netherlands initiated this transaction and, together with the team in Ireland, acted as the exclusive M&A buy-side advisor to Monaghan Mushrooms. This transaction emphasizes the team’s strong track record and expertise in the organic agriculture and food and beverages sector.