FDBusiness.com

Irish company Dawn Farms, Europe’s largest dedicated cooked meat ingredients business, has acquired Haas, a cooked meats specialist in Nonnweiler-Otzenhausen, Saarland, Germany. The transaction was subject to approval by the Bundeskartellamt, the German Federal Competition Authority.

Established in 1994, Haas is a mid-sized, family owned cooked and fermented protein supplier with focus so far on the pizza sector in which Dawn Farms is the largest in Europe. Haas employs over 100 people and shares many of the business and cultural attributes of Dawn Farms. The founder and managing director of Haas, Achim Haas, together with the chief operating officer, Patrick Treitz will remain with the company following the acquisition.

Larry Murrin, chief executive of Dawn Farms, says: “We have been servicing customers in the European market for 25 years and this is a really important step to establish a manufacturing presence on the ground from which we can continue to grow our business. The Haas family has built a high-quality business over the past 25 years which has an excellent fit with Dawn Farms. Their manufacturing process and products are complementary to ours and we see opportunities to broaden this over time through investment in Nonnweiler-Otzenhausen. The combination will enhance both businesses, creating further opportunities to add value for our customers.”

Larry Murrin, chief executive of Dawn Farms.

Larry Murrin continues: “We already have a strong business and market position in the United Kingdom and notwithstanding the uncertainty relating to Brexit, the market for our customers’ products will remain robust over the coming years. Our ongoing strategy to expand and grow in Europe has always been based on identifying clear market opportunities across our existing customer base and on the potential for new customer engagement. Haas is an ideal business to further enable the execution of this strategy.”

Achim Haas says: “Dawn Farms is a proven leader in our sector and given the common attributes we enjoy, this partnership makes a lot of sense. For Dawn Farms, this deal establishes a significant foothold in the German market. For Haas, it creates an even stronger platform for employees, suppliers and customers. We look forward to working with Larry and his team to avail of the opportunities this partnership brings.”

In addition to cooked meats, Dawn Farms produces a range of fermented and dried sausage products such as pepperoni, salami and chorizo. In the UK, the Dawn Farms-owned TMI Foods supplies leading food brands with a range of cooked bacon products and meat-based snacks including Pigs in Blankets. It also produces a range of plant-based products to meet today’s consumer trends. Established in 1985, Dawn Farms supplies many of the world’s leading food brands as well as private label producers, exporting to over 50 countries around the world.