Nowadays, consumers are increasingly aware of the origin of food and the demand for healthy and sustainable products is rising. Piet Glasbeek and his wife had this in mind as early as 1978, when they set up Machandel Organic Foods. The couple are now approaching retirement age and have sold 40% of their shares to the British company Windmill Organics, which has held a majority stake in the Frisian company since 2012.

The complete acquisition by Windmill Organics was not a foregone conclusion. However, Karel Kramer, who formed the deal team with Erwin Wilbrink and Simone van Haarlem, looks back on a smooth process. “Piet came to us because he had calculated his business value with the Marktlink Multiple. He then received not only the report – as usual – but also a proposal with very concrete information on what Marktlink could do for his company. Thinking in terms of solutions, an approach that appealed to him.

Continuity of the company

Given their age, Mr and Mrs Glasbeek wanted to step back from their company. “There were two options: a complete acquisition by Windmill Organics or a joint sale. It soon became clear that both parties were prepared to do a deal under reasonable conditions. We drew up a valuation and presented it to the buyer. This was followed by discussions about the desired structure and, of course, the price. We were able to work it out very well and this acquisition is a great solution for the continuity of the company.”

Machandel was founded on the ideology that honest and healthy food with the least possible impact on the environment should be accessible to everyone. “That is still the starting point. The ever-growing popularity of organic and sustainable food offers Machandel plenty of opportunities for growth. Concrete plans for expansion in capacity and product range are in place. The company maintains a distinctive position in the market through the biodynamic nature of its products.”

Consolidation in the food sector

Sustainability has become an important issue in the food sector, due to increasing consumer awareness. This goes beyond organic foods. “Think, for example, of entrepreneurs who make conscious choices to reduce carbon emissions or achieve sustainability benefits in their choice of packaging. In order to be able to handle investments in this field, further chain integration plays an important role,” Karel Kramer points out. “This is causing an increase in the number of business acquisitions and a strong consolidation in the market. I foresee plenty of movement in the near future, because companies with a sustainable character are simply in great demand.”