BRAIN Group significantly expands its food enzyme business with the acquisition of Breatec B.V. and Comix business

Today, BRAIN Biotech AG announced that it has acquired Breatec B.V. including the Comix business, Nieuwkuijk, Netherlands, a successful distributor, formulator and blender of functional food ingredients for the baking and milling industry. This acquisition will further enhance the growth trajectory of BRAIN’s BioIndustrial division and expand its enzyme portfolio to adjacent market segments.

BRAIN Biotech AG (BRAIN) has concluded an agreement to initially purchase 62% of the shares in Breatec B.V. including the Comix business via Weriol Group B.V., Nieuwkuijk, Netherlands, from the current owners. The closing of the transaction is scheduled for February 3rd, 2022. In addition, an agreed call/put structure will allow BRAIN to acquire the entire business latest until the end of the first quarter 2027. The majority of the still outstanding shares is owned by the current management which will continue to drive the business and also lead the integration into the BioIndustrial division of the BRAIN Group.

Breatec has been founded in 2006 and is located in the central south region of the Netherlands close to the Belgium and German borders, surrounded by many leading international industrial food companies. The company services a global customer base from its headquarter in Nieuwkuijk with a focus on Europe, Middle East, Africa, (EMEA) and Latin America. The range of functional food ingredients for the bakery and milling industry includes enzymes, emulsifiers, glutathione yeast and vitamins. A successful sales organization is complemented by a state of the art flour, enzyme analyses and baking lab. Breatec is ISO 22.000 and its production facility FSSC 22.000 certified.

In the calendar year 2021 Breatec and Comix generated around EUR 7 million of turnover with a positive EBITDA contribution. The acquisition will be fully consolidated by BRAIN as of February 1^st, 2022. On a comparable full year basis the acquisition will boost group turnover by around 18% and revenues of the BioIndustrial segment by around 25%. BRAIN has initially paid around EUR 3.7 million for the acquisition of 62% of the share capital. Based on the achievement of certain EBITDA milestones the initial price might rise moderately. The BRAIN executive board expects to harvest cost and revenue synergies during the integration process.

Frank Olfers, MD, Breatec B.V., states: “We are very much looking forward to accelerate our future growth path with the financial and scientific power of being a BRAIN Group member. We will remain an agile organization focussed on our customers and end markets while utilizing the opportunities within the group. I am very confident that this will be very welcomed by our customers and open up new opportunities for our employees.”

Adriaan Moelker, CEO BRAIN Biotech AG, expresses: “We are very glad to welcome the Breatec and Comix team as a new BRAIN Group member. Breatec is an acquisition, which will add critical mass to our food related industrial enzymes business, further enhance our growth profile and open up a new market segments in bakery as well as milling. In addition, we can harvest clear cost and revenue synergies with existing group members Biocatalysts, BioSun and WeissBioTech. From a geographical perspective, Breatec’s activities in South America will offer growth opportunities for the entire group, next to Comix position predominantly in Europe with the focus on concentrated formulated solutions for the baking industry. This acquisition fits very well to our stated M&A strategy and offers a strong potential for value creation. I am really looking forward to personally accelerate the integration of the Breatec and Comix team into the BRAIN Group.”